William Lawrence Drake graduated from Burnett High School and served in the US Army from 1965 to 1969. He graduated from Bishop College in Dallas and holds a master's degree in criminal justice social rehabilitation from Sam Houston State University. Over the course of his career, William has worked at Sam Houston State University, Bishop College, and Mountain View College. In 2020 he retired to open a business, Drake & Drake Small Claims Court Consultants, LLC, which did not take off due to the pandemic. William lives with his wife, Cynthia. They have one daughter, two grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.