William A. Paterson (1838–1921), American auto manufacturer and Mayor of Flint, Michigan
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William Paterson was a founder of the Bank of England, however he is more well remembered as being the architect of the disastrous Darien scheme.
In July 1698 it launched its first expedition, led by William Paterson, who hoped to establish a colony in Darien (on the Isthmus of Panama), which could then be used as a trading point between Europe and the Far East.
In despair, he wrote to William Paterson the London Scot and founder of the Bank of England and part instigator of the Darien scheme, who was in the confidence of Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, leading minister and spymaster in the English Government.
The genus name is a tribute to the first Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales in Australia, William Paterson.