William Forbes was born in Scotland and immigrated to Bladen County, North Carolina by the early 1730s. In 1733 Forbes served on the Governor's Council and in 1734 he became a justice of the peace for Bladen. He represented Bladen in the North Carolina Colonial Assembly in 1736 and served as local sheriff in 1739. Forbes served again on the council from 1741 to 1749. He died in New Hanover County, North Carolina in about September 1751.