William Henry Conley

William Henry Conley
William Henry Conley
Born	11 June 1840 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Died	25 July 1897(1897-07-25) (aged 57)
Occupation	Industrialist, philanthropist
Spouse(s)	Sarah Shaffer

William Henry Conley (11 June 1840 – 25 July 1897), was a Pittsburgh philanthropist and industrialist. He was married to Sarah Shaffer (1841–1908). Together, they provided organizational and financial support to religious institutions in the United States. William Conley was trained by his uncle in the printing business for ten years. Conley was co-owner of the Riter Conley Company, which provided steel and manufactured goods during the Second Industrial Revolution.

The Conleys frequently held prayer meetings and events in their home ministry. The Conley home was sometimes kept open for weeks at a time in support of religious and charity efforts. According to Zion's Watch Tower, annual celebrations of the Memorial of Christ's death were held at the Conleys' home. Conley's home mission was described as Bethel (literally, "house of God"). The first recorded mention of Bethel in association with Conley appeared in 1890, in reference to the missionary house of Miss Lucy Dunne, established by William and Sarah Conley in Jerusalem.

Conley was the first president of Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society, from 1881 to 1884. In December 1884, the Society was incorporated with Charles Taze Russell as president. In 1896, the Society was renamed Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, and later became associated with Jehovah's Witnesses.

While president of the Society, Conley provided assistance for the three-volume series Theocratic Kingdom by George N. H. Peters; Peters dedicated the work partially to Conley, claiming to be "deeply indebted for sympathy and pecuniary aid in the prosecution and publication of the work." However, the May 1883 issue of Zion’s Watch Tower criticized Peters' work, recommending that readers not purchase the title.

In 1894 Russell introduced a letter from Conley by briefly referencing him as "a member of the early Allegheny Bible Class." Following Conley's death in July 1897, Zion's Watch Tower provided no obituary, nor any statement that specifically mentioned his name and his involvement with the Society.

Conley was a member of the board of managers of the non denominational Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA), and was instrumental in funding and organizing it at local, state and national levels through the International Missionary Alliance (IMA). In 1889, Conley funded and organized the CMA mission in Jerusalem under control of his home mission which would later come under the auspices of the IMA and eventually the CMA. In the same year, the International Missionary Alliance was legally incorporated with W. H. Conley's $5000 contribution. The Pittsburgh branch of the Christian and Missionary Alliance was formally established in 1894. Conley was elected president of both the Pittsburgh branch and at the state level, an office which he retained until his death in 1897.