William Foster Cockshutt (October 17, 1855 – November 22, 1939) was a Canadian politician. Born in Brantford, Canada West, the son of Ignatius Cockshutt, Cockshutt was educated in Brantford and at the Galt College Institute. He worked for a produce firm and in a tea warehouse in England before returning to Ontario and entering the family business in partnership with his brother . A merchant and manufacturer, he was a member of the Hydro-Electric Power Commission. He was president of the Cockshutt Plow Company from 1885 until 1888, stepping in after his brother's death from tuberculosis at 34 years of age. In 1888, he was named president of the local Board of Trade.