William John Getty, Jr. was born on July 8, 1873 in Forest Home Township, Antrim County, Michigan. He was the son of William, Sr and Adeline (Baird) Getty. 

After high school, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1894. In May of 1898, he enlisted in the 34th Michigan Infantry and served a short time in the Spanish American war in Cuba as a member of the military band. He was mustered out of the army on December 9, 1898 at the end of the war.

When he returned for military duty, he decided to take up the ministry as an Episcopalian priest.

On May 4, 1900, he married Lizzie M. Wolford (right) in Petoskey, Emmet County, Michigan. She was a teacher at a local Native American Reservation.

They adopted one child: Louise Irene (Getty) Revelle

One of his first missions was as a priest in the Black Hills, Sturgis, South Dakota. In 1908, he was pastor of a church in Castle Rock, Washington. Later they lived in Seattle.

Around 1910, his brother George Baird Getty and his family came to Washington at William's urging.

William and Lizzie were divorced in the mid-1910s. He later married a woman named Bertha but they also parted ways by 1922.

In 1947, his address was 1020 Frye Hotel, Seattle, Washington.

William, Jr. died on March 7, 1955 at the age of 81.

"One of Will's first missions as an Episcopalian priest was in Black Hills, Sturgis, South Dakota. In 1908 he was pastor of the M. E. Church at Castle Rock, Washington. On May 24, 1908, he wrote to his brother George, who was in the timber business near Kalkaska, and urged him to move to Washington. On May 18, 1909, he wrote from Puyallup, Washington. He urged Mama to sellout and move to Washington, where they "have no winters." He planned to buy a lot in Tacoma, for "soon things will start to progress, and I will buy more lots. They should double in value during the next five years. They will need factory sites; Tacoma and Seattle will soon be one town."

Sometime later that same year, George and his family moved to Washington. He had had several job offers and was playing in a band. He was hired as a bookkeeper for the Orillia Lumber Co. at Orillia, Washington. Times looked very promising, but not for long."