William Henry was born in Beaver in 1808, the eldest son of Judge Thomas Henry. His father, in 1825, had become the proprietor and editor of the Western Argus, a newspaper established originally by James Logan. At the age of 16, William entered his father's printing office as an apprentice, and was connected with the paper, as boy and man, for the next twenty-seven years. At the age of 23, in 1831, William purchased the Western Argus from his father, continuing as its proprietor and editor until 1851. His father, Thomas, who had held numerous elective and appointed local offices, including a judgeship, was elected to Congress in 1836, being reelected in 1840, in each instance by large majorities, although opposed by popular candidates. As mentioned earlier, the William Henry for whom our subject was named, was a brother of Judge Thomas Henry.
William Henry, during the period he occupied the editorial chair of the Argus, ably and fully discussed the important issues of the day ... the U. S. Bank, Tariff Currency, the acquisition of Texas, the Mexican War, and many others. He was an untiring advocate of any measure tending to improve and develop the resources of Beaver County, and the Erie Extension Canal, from the Ohio River to Lake Erie, was early and often the subject of his pen. The proposed Beaver & Conneaut Railroad, surveyed in 1836, was also a favorite enterprise, but the crash of 1837 brought that project to a standstill. A portion of its proposed route is now occupied by the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad.
Henry was Treasurer of Beaver County in 1857 and 1858 and after leaving that office was appointed a secret agent of the county to buy up the bonds that had been issued in connection with construction of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad, later part of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and now a part of Conrail. He was successful in buying in the bonds at about 70 cents on the dollar. William Henry was a member of the Pennsylvania State Legislature from 1861 through 1863. He died on July 4, 1875, and is buried here at Beaver Cemetery.