William Paton Mackay (13 May 1839 – 22 August 1885) was a Scottish doctor, Presbyterian minister and hymn writer.
He was educated at the University of Edinburgh, where he graduated as MA, MB and CM before going on to gain his MD in 1870 with a thesis on leprosy.
He testified that the reason behind his conversion was the discovery of his own Bible in the possession of a dying patient he was attending.
During his time as a minister he also wrote a number of hymns, one of the best known of which is "We praise Thee, O God, for the Son of Thy love"[4] He died on 22 August 1885 in Portree, Scotland, as the result of an accident.
He fell from the pier while boarding a ferry, striking his head and spending some time in the water before being rescued.