William Woodbridge (September 14, 1755 – March 27, 1836) was an American educator and the first preceptor of Phillips Exeter Academy. He was especially interested in female education. William Woodbridge was born in Glastonbury, Connecticut to British immigrants on September 14, 1755. He worked on his father's farm until he resolved to join the ministry at the age of 21, and entering school which he paid for by working and teaching in his spare time. During his senior year in college, he taught a young ladies school for three months in New Haven County, Connecticut. After graduating from Yale College in 1780, he went on to make a living as a teacher, though he was also qualified to be a minister. In 1783, he was chosen to be the first preceptor of the newly created Phillips Exeter Academy.