Arthur Lloyd Fletcher was born on July 7, 1881, in Ashe County, North Carolina. During World War I, Fletcher served in a variety of capacities. In 1917, Gov. Thomas W. Bickett appointed him as disbursing officer for the federal funds used to fund the draft. Later, he was a captain in the 113th Field Artillery who served overseas from May 1918 to April 1919 and received an honorable discharge in May 1919. In 1932, Fletcher was elected to serve as North Carolina's Commissioner of Labor. He died in Raleigh on January 10, 1966.