Edward Francis Lovill was born on February 10, 1842, in Surry County, North Carolina. Lovill was a member of the 28th North Carolina Infantry (Confederate) during the Civil War who went on to work as an attorney in Boone, North Carolina. He served three terms in the state legislature and was a deputy collector of revenue during the presidency of Grover Cleveland. Lovill died in Boone (Watauga County) on January 4, 1925.