William G. Greene

William G. "Slicky Bill" Greene Jr. (1812–1894) was an American businessman who was a close friend of Abraham Lincoln. He did business in Menard County, Illinois. Greene founded Tallula, Illinois in 1857, and Greenview, Illinois is named after him.

Greene, along with his brother L.M. Greene, and William F. Berry, attended Illinois College in Jacksonville. When Lincoln had a debt judgement entered against him in 1834, requiring Lincoln to surrender his horse, Greene turned in his own horse instead; this horse was probably the one Lincoln had paid him with in 1833. Lincoln eventually paid Greene back after becoming an attorney.

Greene and Lincoln remained friends; though Greene was a Democrat, Lincoln, as president, appointed Greene as internal revenue collector for the Peoria district. Greene, along with Yates, J. G. Greene, T. Baker, and W. G. Spears, laid out the village of Tallula itself in late 1857. William Greene and physician J. F. Wilson established the local bank in May 1877.

Greenview was laid out in October 1857. It was named after William Greene because he convinced the railroad to come through the town: located on the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis Railroad, Greenview was incorporated by a special act of the Illinois General Assembly in May 1869.

Greene died on June 30, 1894, and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery (East) in Tallula.