William Jennings Dyess (August 1, 1929 — January 6, 1996) was an American diplomat who served as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs from 1980 to 1981 and as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands from 1982 to 1983. In 1958, Dyess joined the United States Foreign Service. He initially worked as an intelligence research specialist for the Central Intelligence Agency. As a Foreign Service Officer, he was posted to Belgrade, Yugoslavia 1961-63; to Copenhagen 1963-65; to Moscow 1966-68; and to Berlin 1968-70. Dyess died of cancer in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 1996.