Corcoran, William Wilson (1798–1888)

US banker, art collector, and philanthropist. He established a banking firm in 1840, but retired in 1854, devoting himself to collecting 19th-century American works of art. As a philanthropist he donated substantial sums to many educational, religious, and charitable institutions in America.

He was born in Georgetown, Washington, DC. He studied at Georgetown College (now Georgetown University), then joined his brothers in a dry goods business in 1815. A supporter of the South during the Civil War, he lived abroad during that time. He founded the Corcoran Gallery of Art in 1859; his collection still forms the nucleus of the museum