William Lee Popham (1885–1953) was an American author, evangelist, Chautauqua speaker, and real estate developer who was important in the growth of Apalachicola, Florida and St. George Island, Florida. Born on a farm in Hardin County, Kentucky, he began writing poems as a child. His parents (Virgil and Clara Popham) moved the family to Louisville in about 1900. William Lee briefly studied at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, but was not ordained. His gifts for speaking and writing were recognized early, and he began speaking on the Chautauqua circuit by age 17.