William Thomas Joyner was born April 11, 1891, in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Joyner was a lawyer by training. During World War I, he attended the officers' training course at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, was commissioned a captain, and served with the 113th Field Artillery and the 45th Field Artillery. From May 27, 1918, to September 2, 1918, he was overseas in France. Before his honorable discharge in December 1918, he was promoted to the rank of major. Following the close of the war, Joyner transitioned into the chairmanship of the Raleigh Victory Loan and served as an assistant legislative librarian. He died on December 30, 1891.