Graham was educated at private schools, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Princeton College.

He served as an officer in the Confederate Army during the Civil War.

In 1879 to 1880, Graham served as President pro tempore of the North Carolina Senate.

Graham died in Raleigh, North Carolina, on December 23, 1923, just days before his 84th birthday[1] and is buried in Machpelah Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Lincolnton, North Carolina.

[2] The William A. Graham Jr. Farm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.