William H. Sinclair

Beach Hotel, on Galveston Beach between Tremont St. and Twenty-fourth St., Galveston.

Col. William H. Sinclair (October 31, 1838 – January 11, 1897) was an American Union Army officer, Freedmen's Bureau official, businessman, state legislator, and union officer. Sinclair founded the Beach Hotel in Galveston in 1882, in an effort to increase tourism in the city. The project cost US$260,000 (US$6,279,000 in 2018).

Sinclair was born in Akron, Ohio.

Sinclair was an avid baseball enthusiast, convincing stockholders to invest in a Texas League baseball franchise in Galveston. He also served as president of the Galveston City Railroad Company.

Sinclair served in the Texas House of Representatives as a Republican representing the 12th district from February 8, 1870 to January 14, 1873. He served as Speaker of the Texas House from May 10, 1871 to January 14, 1873.

Sinclair's wife died in 1895, and in early 1897 Sinclair died in Rochester, New York at the age of 58. On January 17, 1897 he was buried at Lakeview Cemetery in Galveston.