William Shaen

William Shaen (31 October 1820 – 2 March 1887) was a British radical and lawyer. An active supporter of women's education, he helped to found Bedford College, London.

William was educated at a nonconformist school in Brighton, where he met Peter Taylor, who became a lifelong friend. In 1848, Shaen acted as secretary to the Committee of Graduates working to secure a permanent home for the university.

Shaen studied law at The University of Edinburgh, planning to become a barrister.

Shaen also acted as solicitor for the London School of Medicine for Women (LSMW), which opened in October 1874, and as the Gaskells' family solicitor. An advocate of women's university education, Shaen was connected with the movements to establish Newnham College and Girton College, Cambridge, and Oxford's Somerville Hall, as well as in the establishment of the London School of Medicine for Women, and of Bedford College.

Shaen's entry in the Dictionary of National Biography concludes that:His generosity, enthusiasm, organizing ability, and persistence, combined with intellectual clarity, had won for him the confidence and affection of all who had dealings with him and a considerable reputation as a lawyer and a humanitarian.