Joyner, William Thomas, 1891-1981.

William Thomas Joyner was born in Goldsboro, N.C., on 11 April 1891. His mother was Effie Harper Rouse Joyner. His father, James Yadkin Joyner, was a leader in education in North Carolina, ultimately becoming State Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1903.

William Thomas Joyner was educated in the public schools of Raleigh, N.C., and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with an A.B. degree in 1911. After teaching school briefly, Joyner entered Harvard Law School, receiving an LL.B. degree in 1916.

Joyner began the practice of law in Raleigh in 1916 and remained an active attorney in civil practice until his retirement in 1979. He formed partnerships with Kale K. Burgess in 1917, Willis Smith in 1926, and Robert C. Howison, Jr., in 1939.

Joyner served in the field artillery during World War I, ultimately becoming a major in the 45th Field Artillery. In 1923 he was made colonel of the 113th Field Artillery of the North Carolina National Guard, serving until 1932. For the remainder of his life Joyner maintained an interest in military affairs and was regularly addressed as Colonel.

Joyner was a prominent figure in the Democratic Party in North Carolina. He was secretary of the State Democratic Executive Committee in 1920; chairman of the North Carolina Elections Board, 1944-1947; and chairman of the North Carolina Highway Commission in 1957. Joyner considered himself a political moderate, but increasingly in the 1950s and 1960s he sided with the Democratic Party's conservative wing. While he never formally left the Party, Joyner endorsed Republicans Richard Nixon in 1968 and Jesse Helms in 1972.

Joyner participated in a number of civic groups and was an active Southern Baptist. He frequently taught Sunday school and was in demand as a public speaker.

Joyner married Sue Arrington Kitchin in 1920; their children were William T. Joyner, Jr., Walton K. Joyner, and Sue Kitchin Joyner Sprunt.

William Thomas Joyner died in Raleigh on 30 December 1981.

From the guide to the William Thomas Joyner Papers, 1855-1979, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.)