William Urquhart Arbuthnot

William Urquhart Arbuthnot (1807–11 December 1874) was a Scottish administrator in India.

The fifth son of Sir William Arbuthnot, 1st Baronet, he was educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh and the East India Company College, Haileybury. Joining the East India Company, he went to Madras in 1826, eventually becoming the agent to the Governor at Vizagapatam. He resigned from the service in 1846, after which he joined the firm of Arbuthnot & Co. at Madras. He retired to England in 1838.

In 1858, he was one of the first persons chosen by the Crown to fill seats on the new Council of India, on which he served until his death in 1874. On several occasions, he declined appointment as finance minister in India.

A daughter married William Spottiswoode, while a son was Reginald Arbuthnot.