thumb|William Henry Bailey
William Henry Bailey (January 22, 1831 – August 17, 1908) was an American author, lawyer, and politician. He was the North Carolina Attorney General and served in the North Carolina General Assembly. He co-founded and taught law at the Bailey Law School.
Early life
Bailey was born at Mt.Pleasant in Pasquotank County, North Carolina. His parents were Priscilla Elizabeth Brownrigg and John Lancaster Bailey. He studied law under his father. He practiced law in Hillsborough with his father.
He became the Attorney General of North Carolina in December 1856, completing an unexpired term. He was elected the county attorney for Caswell County in 1858. He joined Nathaniel Boydon in the firm Boyden and Blackman. Bailey held this position until the post was eliminated in 1873.
In 1882, Bailey was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives for Mecklenburg County as a Democrat in 1882. He received an honorary Doctor of Law degree in 1885 from Rutherford College. They had five children, daughter Mrs. Archibald Lingan and sons William Henry Bailey Jr. Edmund H. Bailey, Campbell McCulloh Bailey, and Thomas H. Bailey. On August 17, 1908, Bailey died at his son's home in Seabrook at the age of 77.