William Horn Battle (1802–1879) was a North Carolina jurist and law professor who served on the North Carolina Supreme Court. He was also the father of Kemp P. Battle. Battle was born in Edgecombe County, North Carolina and educated at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He became a lawyer after studying under Chief Justice Leonard Henderson. Battle also served as court reporter for the state Supreme Court, a member of the North Carolina House of Commons representing Franklin County, delegate to the 1839 Whig National Convention, and a state superior court judge. He also taught at the University of North Carolina School of Law between 1845 and 1866. Among his students were future Gov. Zebulon B. Vance and future state Supreme Court justices Joseph J. Davis, James E. Shepherd,