William Godwin (3 March 1756 – 7 April 1836) is an English journalist, political philosopher and novelist.

He is considered one of the first exponents of utilitarianism, and the first modern proponent of anarchism.

Godwin is most famous for two books that he published within the space of a year: An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice, an attack on political institutions, and Things as They Are; or, The Adventures of Caleb Williams, which attacks aristocratic privilege, but also is the first mystery novel.

Based on the success of both, Godwin features prominently in the radical circles of London in the 1790s.

In the ensuing conservative reaction to British radicalism, Godwin is attacked, in part because of his marriage to the pioneering feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft in 1797 and his candid biography of her after her death; their daughter, Mary Godwin (later Mary Shelley) will go on to write Frankenstein and marry the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Godwin writes prolifically in the genres of novels, history and demography throughout his lifetime.

With his second wife, Mary Jane Clairmont, he writes children's primers on Biblical and classical history, which he publishes along with such works as Charles and Mary Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare.

Using the pseudonym Edward Baldwin, he writes a variety of books for children, including a version of Jack and the Beanstalk.

He also has had considerable influence on British literature and literary culture.