William Samuel Livingston (July 1, 1920 – August 15, 2013) was a political science professor who was the acting president of the University of Texas at Austin, a position he held from 1992 until 1993.
Born in Ironton, Ohio, Livingston fought in World War II as a first lieutenant and was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
Livingston joined the University of Texas at Austin in 1949 and stayed with the political science faculty until his retirement in 2007.
During his tenure, he received Ford and Guggenheim Fellowships, chaired two departments, developed numerous programs and served as Dean of the Graduate School and acting president of the University of Texas at Austin.
During his tenure at the University of Texas at Austin, he wrote or edited six books and at least twenty-five articles on political science topics.
From September 1992 through January 1993, while still the dean of graduate studies, he was named the acting president of University of Texas at Austin.
"[4] On September 2, 2006, he received the American Political Science Association's Daniel Elazar Award for his work on federalism and intergovernmental relations, an organization on whose council he had served twice.
[1][5] Livingston's successor, Robert M. Berdahl, referred to him as "the conscience, the soul, the memory, the wit, and the wise elder statesman"[2] of the University of Texas.