William Reynolds (December 10, 1815 – November 5, 1879) was a rear admiral in the United States Navy who served during the American Civil War.

[1] In 1865, Reynolds was promoted to captain and given command of the screw sloop Lackawanna after the American Civil War, assigned to the Pacific.

In 1867, he was the officer to formally claim the Midway Atoll for the United States, after its discovery by a sealing ship in 1859.

In 1873, he was promoted to rear admiral[1] and given command of the Asiatic Squadron from his flagship, the steam frigate Tennessee.

Reynolds served as the acting Secretary of the United States Navy in 1874.