Bill Wilson

American stockbroker who co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous with Bob Smith in 1935 after his own alcoholism recovery — writing the 'Big Book' that became the foundational text of the twelve-step movement.

Co-created the mutual aid model for addiction recovery — the insight that one alcoholic helping another creates a bond that medical treatment cannot replicate — and embedded it in a scalable organizational structure that has helped millions of people achieve sobriety.