| William Paton Mackay | |
| Birth Date: | 13 May 1838 |
| Birth Place: | Montrose, Scotland |
| Death Place: | Portree, Scotland |
| Nationality: | Scottish |
| Alma Mater: | University of Edinburgh |
| Occupation: | Doctor; Minister; Hymn writer |
| Notable Works: | We praise thee O God for the Son of Thy love |
William Paton Mackay (13 May 1839 – 22 August 1885) was a Scottish doctor, Presbyterian minister and hymn writer.
Mackay was born in Montrose, Angus, Scotland, on 13 May 1839. He was educated at the University of Edinburgh, where he graduated as MA, MB and CM before going on to gain his MD in 1870 with a thesis on leprosy.[1] He worked as a doctor for a number of years before deciding to become a minister. He testified that the reason behind his conversion was the discovery of his own Bible in the possession of a dying patient he was attending. This Bible had been given to him by his mother when he left home aged 17, but he had sold it to help make ends meet.[2]
He became minister of Prospect Street Presbyterian Church, Hull, in 1868[3] just two years after the church was built. He married Mary Loughton Livingstone in the same year. During his time as a minister he also wrote a number of hymns, one of the best known of which is "We praise Thee, O God, for the Son of Thy love" [4]
He died on 22 August 1885 in Portree, Scotland, as the result of an accident. He fell from the pier while boarding a ferry, striking his head and spending some time in the water before being rescued. He regained consciousness, but died later in a local hotel.[5]