William Joseph Browne, Canadian lawyer and politician, 20th Solicitor General of Canada (died 1989)

William Joseph Browne, was a Canadian lawyer, judge and politician. He served in the Newfoundland House of Assembly and the House of Commons of Canada.

The Solicitor General of Canada was a position in the Canadian ministry from 1892 to 2005. The position was based on the Solicitor General in the British system and was originally designated as an officer to assist the Attorney General and Minister of Justice. It was not initially a position in the Canadian Cabinet, although after 1917 its occupant was often sworn into the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and attended Cabinet meetings. In 1966, the modern position of Solicitor General was created with the repeal of the previous Solicitor General Act and the passage of a new statute creating the ministerial office of the Solicitor General of Canada.