William Busby Lambe was born on January 9, 1826, in Montreal, Quebec.

He was a prominent Montreal lawyer and painter. He graduated from McGill University (B.C.L., 1850) and was called to the Quebec and Ontario bars in 1851. He practised in Montreal for many years. In 1882, he was appointed to the office of Collector of Provincial Revenue. He took an active part in the development of McGill University and was one of the founders of the Montreal Art Association. He owned land in Pointe-au-Pic in the Charlevoix-Est Regional County, including the property on which the present Manoir Richelieu was built. In 1866, he was one of the founders of the Protestant Union church in Murray Bay, Quebec. As a talented painter, he beautifully captured many local scenes. In 1896, he published the book "Handbook, Duties on Successions in Province of Quebec with Text of Statutes in English and French and Forms of Declarations". He was the father of Lawrence Morris Lambe (1863 –1919), a well-known Canadian paleontologist and geologist.

In 1852, he married Margaret Jones Morris (1828-1896). He died on August 10, 1905, in Montreal, Quebec.