William Jackson Hicks was born in Spottsylvania County, Virginia, on February 18, 1827. Hicks was a farmer, industrialist, and architect who resided in Raleigh (Wake County). Beginning in 1869, Hicks held the position of the architect and warden of the North Carolina State Penitentiary for twenty-five years. Several major state buildings were constructed with incarcerated labor and bricks manufactured by prisoners under Hicks' supervision , including the Executive Mansion and the Supreme Court Building. Hicks died in Raleigh on January 14, 1911.