Joyner, James Yadkin, 1862-1954

James Yadkin Joyner (1862-1954), one of seven children of John and Sallie A. (Wooten) Joyner, was born in Davidson County. After the Civil War the Joyner family returned to their farm near La Grange, N C., where J. Y. Joyner was raised. Joyner was graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1881 with a Ph.B. degree. Although he apparently had doubts about what career to pursue, most of his work reflected his interest in education. He helped operate La Grange Academy and La Grange Collegiate Institute (1881-1884), taught at the Winston Graded Schools (1884-1885), served as superintendent of the Goldsboro Graded Schools (1889-1893), and helped organize teachers' institutes throughout North Carolina. Joyner studied law at the Greensboro Law School operated by Robert Paine Dick (1885-1886) and practiced law in the firm of Faircloth, Allen and Joyner in Goldsboro (1886-1889). Accepting the call of his classmate and friend at Chapel Hill, Charles Duncan McIver, Joyner chaired the Department of English at the Normal and Industrial College for Women in Greensboro (1893-1902). In 1902 Governor Charles Brantley Aycock appointed Joyner superintendent of public instruction. Joyner held the position until January 1, 1919, during which time he instituted sweeping reforms in the state's system of public education. He presided over the National Education Association in 1910. Subsequently, Joyner worked for the Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association and the Prudential Life Insurance Company. Joyner married Effie E. Rouse of La Grange in 1887. The union produced two children, William T. and James Noah.

While much lauded during and after his death, Joyner has been criticized for his stance on integration within North Carolina schools. Some of his speeches lend credence to the fact that he was a segregationist. J.Y. Joyner Library on the campus of East Carolina University is currently named after him.