Algernon Augustus Zollicoffer was born on April 3, 1888, in Henderson, North Carolina. Zollicoffer was the bookkeeper for the Henderson and Harriet Cotton Mills in Henderson when he registered for the draft (World War I) in June 1917. During the war, he served in the United States Navy from May 1918 until May 1920. He died in Henderson (Vance County) on January 21, 1977.