William James Howell (born May 8, 1943) is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Virginia. He represented Virginia's 28th House of Delegates district from 1992 until 2018 and served as Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates from 2003 to 2018. He also serves as chairman of the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission. Presiding over the House during a period of Republican dominance in that chamber, Howell has been applauded by many in and out of his party as a pragmatic leader but is also notable for heading Virginia's controversial redistricting efforts following the 2010 census and firmly opposing efforts to expand Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.