William Richard George Stanley, 9th Earl of Derby (c. 1655 – 5 November 1702), styled Lord Strange from 1655 to 1672, was an English peer and politician.

[1] He succeeded his father in the earldom in 1672[1] and later served as Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire from 1676 to 1687 and again from 1688 to 1701 and of Cheshire from 1676 to 1687.

In 1685, Derby petitioned the House of Lords for the restoration of some of the family estates that had been seized from his late father, including the manors of Hawarden, Bidston, and Broughton, Lancashire.

However, his younger brother, James, a professional soldier, actually commanded the Lancashire Brigade during the campaign in Ireland.

He was succeeded in the earldom by his younger brother James Stanley, 10th Earl of Derby.