William Gaylord Conway (November 20, 1929 – October 21, 2021) was an American zoologist, ornithologist and conservationist. William Gaylord Conway was born on November 20, 1929, in St. Louis, Missouri. He began his career with the St. Louis Zoo. He joined the New York Zoological Society in 1956 as assistant curator of birds. He was later promoted to director of the society, and then became president of it in 1992 when it was reconfigured into the Wildlife Conservation Society. He retired as president in 1999 and retained the title of senior conservationist.