He prepared for Princeton at Pingry School. He majored in politics and was a member of Campus Club. In 1959 he earned a law degree at Harvard Law School and then served in the Army for two years and the State Department for five years, and practiced law in Boston, Osterville, and Falmouth, continuing his work until the time of his death.

Bill married Winnie Crane in 1961 in Dalton. The couple lived in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y., and in Winchester and Milton, Mass., before settling in Woods Hole. During his later years, he and Winnie enjoyed travel, golf, and engaging with the Woods Hole community. Bill continued to enjoy swimming and going for bicycle rides into his final days.

Bill is survived by his wife, Winnie; sons William T. Mackey and his wife, Carol LeeRawn, and Cameron K. Mackey ’91 and his wife, Susanna. He was predeceased by his daughter, Abigail B. Mackey, who died in 1986 in a climbing accident, and by his sister, Christine Mackey.