William Sydney Wilson was born on December 29, 1873, in Caswell County, North Carolina. Wilson was a longtime public servant, representing Caswell County in the state legislature and serving as clerk in the department of state. In 1916, he was appointed by a special act of the legislature to serve as legislative librarian, a position he held until his death. Wilson died on December 18, 1918, of complications arising from influenza, one of many North Carolinians lost during the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919.