William Branford Shubrick (1790-1874) was an officer in the U.S. Navy and served from 1806 to 1861, including service in the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, and retired in the early months of the Civil War.

Shubrick was born October 31, 1790, at Belvedere Plantation, Bull's Island, South Carolina to Mary Branford and Colonel Thomas Shubrick. His father served in the Continental Army under Nathanael Greene and Benjamin Lincoln. Shubrick briefly studied at Harvard College before being commissioned a midshipman on June 20, 1806.

Shubrick began his active service on the Mediterranean Squadron on the USS Wasp, where he met his lifelong friend James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851). At the end of 1809, he was transferred to the Atlantic Squadron to Argus and sailed along the Atlantic coast. On the eve of the War of 1812, Shubrick was promoted to lieutenant. During the war, he served on the Hornet, Constellation, and Constitution.

At the outbreak of the Mexican-American War, Shubrick requested sea duty and sailed on the Independence for the California coast to command American Naval forces there. He was involved with the blockade of Guaymas and Mazatlan, followed by the capture and occupation.

In 1849, Shubrick headed back home and took command of the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Beginning in 1853, he headed the Bureau of Construction and Repair, and beginning in 1852 served on the United States Lighthouse Board, serving for ten years as chairman.

When the Civil War began, Shubrick was the Navy's most senior active service officer hailing from the South. He remained loyal to the Union. In December 1861, a law was passed by Congress which required all Navy officers to retire after reaching age sixty-two or accumulating fourty-five years of service. As such, Shubrick was placed on the retired list. He was promoted to rear admiral on the retired list on July 16, 1862.

Shubrick married Harriet Cordelia Wethered (1789-1881) in 1815 and they had one child, Mary (1819-1902). Shubrick died in Washington, DC on May 27, 1874.