Wilfred M. McClay (born 1951), often known as Bill McClay, is an American historian and academic specializing in American intellectual history, with a focus on themes of self, society, liberty, and American identity. He earned his undergraduate degree from St. John's College and completed a Ph.D. in history at Johns Hopkins University in 1987. His seminal work, 'The Masterless: Self and Society in Modern America' (1994), earned the Merle Curti Award from the Organization of American Historians. McClay's scholarship explores tensions between individualism and community in modern American life, intersecting with education, culture, and political thought. He has held distinguished positions at Georgetown University, Tulane University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Dallas, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (where he served as SunTrust Bank Chair of Excellence in Humanities and Professor of History from 1999), University of Oklahoma (as G. T. and Libby Blankenship Chair in the History of Liberty and Director of the Center for the History of Liberty), and currently serves on the faculty of Hillsdale College. He is also a Non-Resident Scholar at the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion. McClay's influence extends beyond academia through writings in outlets like The Wall Street Journal and First Things, addressing contemporary issues in education and national identity. His career reflects a commitment to understanding the historical roots of American exceptionalism and challenges to traditional values in modern society.