William Bullock (1813 - April 12, 1867) was an American inventor. He designed a cotton and hay press, a seed planter, a lathe cutting machine, and a grain drill. In 1863, Bullock perfected a printing press called the web rotary press. His press allowed for continuous large rolls of paper to be automatically fed through the rollers, eliminating the laborious hand-feeding system of earlier presses. The press printed on both sides, folded the paper, and a sharp serrated knife cut sheets with rapid precision. In a bizarre accident, Bullock was killed by his own invention. While making adjustments to one of his new presses Bullock tried to kick a driving belt onto a pulley. His leg was crushed when it became caught in the machine. After a few days, he developed gangrene, and during an operation to amputate the leg.