Joseph Lizzotte was born on November 12, 1893, in New Bedford, Massachusetts to Francis Lizzotte and Lucie Green, both French Canadian immigrants. Mr. Lizzotte worked at a wool mill until his incarceration at the Massachusetts Reformatory around 1910.
In May 1911, authorities transferred Mr. Lizzotte to the Rutland Prison Camp and Hospital for treatment of tuberculosis. He died there from tuberculosis on February 11, 1912, at 18.