{(({Infobox Person | name =William Samuel Paley | image =paley willia.jpeg | image_size = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date =

William Samuel Paley (September 28, 1901 – October 26, 1990) was the chief executive who built Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) from a small radio network into one of the foremost radio and television network operations in the United States.

Early life

Paley's father, Samuel Paley, a Russian Jewish immigrant, ran a cigar company and, as the company became increasingly successful, the new millionaire moved his family to Philadelphia in the early 1920s. William Paley received his degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in expectation that he would take an increasingly active role running the family cigar business.