William Harrison Waste was the 21st Chief Justice of California. Waste graduated from the University of California in 1891 and Hastings Law School in San Francisco in 1894. He practiced law in Oakland and later in Berkeley. From 1902 to 1905 he served in the state assembly, and then was appointed to the superior court, where he remained until at least 1914.

Mr. Waste was the first lawyer registered with the State Bar of California. As Chief Justice, he was assigned State Bar Number 1 in 1927 when the State Bar was formed and began registering attorneys and judges.