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William Calmes Buck (1790 - 1872) was a prominent Baptist minister, editor, author and denominational leader of Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi. He was a lieutenant of cavalry in the War of 1812 and preached his first sermon in uniform. He earnestly desired a seminary education, but his father would not consent to it on the grounds that his brothers had not had similar advantages although his oldest brother and fellow minister, Thomas Buck, offered to defray part of the expense. William thereupon mastered Latin, Greek, and Hebrew without the aid of a tutor. He was founder and first pastor of the East Baptist Church of Louisville, KY, editor of the state Baptist paper, compiler and publisher, in 1844, of a Baptist hymnal, and co-founder of a Bible society which later merged with what is now the American Bible Society. Upon leaving Kentucky, he held a denominational post in Nashville, Tennessee and later was pastor of the First Baptist Churches of Greensboro, Alabama, Selma, Alabama and Columbus, Mississippi.  At the ages of 71-75, he was "Missionary" (The equivalent of chaplain) to Confederate hospitals in Alabama and Mississippi and four of his sons served in the Confederate army, the youngest at the age of 16. After the war, he moved to a farm near Waco, Texas, to escape the violence and misrule of the Reconstruction Days.  He was noted for his phenomenal strength, his intellectual capacity, and his platform ability. He died and was buried at Waco.
                                                                    -- from the notes of Hubert Nelson Buck, 1965

" . . . Buck steered Kentucky Baptists through the very turbulent years 1820 - 1850, when bitter opposition to missions and salaried ministers almost did in the Baptist cause in that frontier state. . . . For fifteen years William preached in small churches around Union and Woodford Counties, almost complete wilderness. Paid nothing for his gospel labors (he later wrote his total receipts for his first twenty-four years in the ministry were $724, mostly merchandise!), Buck farmed to support his family of five."
                                                                -- David E. Buck, Jr.

When visiting Front Royal in 1857, his daughter, Emma Buck wrote that he was also remembered as a good and noted singer.

Rev. W. C. Buck preached the annual sermon before the Alabama state convention which met in Gainesville in 1858. He then settled in Selma as pastor of the Baptist church there. In 1859, he again felt the need to publish his views and began a new paper, "The Baptist Correspondent". His paper was in competition with the existing "Southwestern Baptist" and failed after three years.

W. C. Buck probably did not "retire" upon moving to Waco. The 1870 census shows him as the head of household and gives his occupation as "Minister of the Gospel". His daughter, Emma (age 31), and sons, Field (age 25) and Silas (age 22), lived with him. He was active in the pulpit and was an occasional lecturer at Waco University. 

He was so highly regarded that (at least) six of his descendants were named after him. 

William Calmes Buck was the author, editor or publisher of:
"The Baptist Banner", Louisville, Kentucky, 1839 - 1849.
"The Baptist Hymn Book", J. Eliot & Company, Louisville, Kentucky, 1842.
"The Baptist Hymn Book", revised and enlarged, 42nd edition, G. H. Monsarrat & Co., Louisville, Kentucky, 1847.
"The Slavery Question", Harney, Hughes & Hughes, Louisville, Kentucky, 1847.
"The Philosophy of Religion", South-Western Publishing House, Graves, Marks & Company, Nashville, Tennessee, 1857.
"A Brief Defense of the Antiquity, History & Practice of the Baptists", McDowell & Kimbrough, Columbus, Mississippi, 1854.
"The Baptist Correspondent", Selma, Alabama, 1859.

He also wrote a bit of family history, "A Brief Statement for the Satisfaction of My Children" in 1852 which, although not published, provides some interesting personal glimpses into his life.