Maxwell was the one whose collection of 4 E&M equations can be
massaged and manipulated to yield a WAVE equation for electro-
magnetic radiation (including light), in which one of the coefficients
predicts the speed of light before it was even accurately measured.
Arago, the French physicist/politician, was a disciple and admirer of
Fresnel ... one of the waviest guys in the entire history of the topic.
Strange as it may seem, Isaac Newton is the one on this list who
argued adamantly against the notion of light as waves.