William Ball Provine (February 19, 1942 – September 1, 2015)[1] was an American historian of science and of evolutionary biology and population genetics.

[1] Provine's Ph.D. thesis, later published as a book,[4] documented the early origins of theoretical population genetics in the conflicts between the biostatistics and Mendelian schools of thought.

He documented later developments in theoretical population genetics in his biography of Sewall Wright,[5] who was still alive and available for interviews.

He engaged in prominent debates with theist philosophers and scientists about the existence of God and the viability of intelligent design.

Provine said that his course on evolutionary biology began by having his students read Johnson's book, Darwin on Trial.