Joseph Stopford Archibald was born on September 2, 1898, in Newington, New Hampshire to Alexander and Angelina Archibald. At the age of twelve, he had sold his first cartoon to Judge magazine. By the age of fifteen, he had begun his writing career with a prize-winning contribution to the Boston Post. Archibald attended Chicago Academy of Fine Arts before enlisting in the United States Navy during World War I.

During the war, Joseph Archibald served on a naval sub-chaser and as staff cartoonist for a service publication. After his military service, Archibald returned to New England and became a reporter for several Boston newspapers. In the 1920s, Archibald became the sports columnist and a cartoonist for the New York-based McClure Newspaper Syndicate. He married Dorothy Allison Fenton in November 1927.

Archibald worked in a variety of positions ranging from editorial art director for several different publishing companies, to a trick cartoonist entertaining troops during World War II. He published many free-lance stories, but it was not until 1947 when Archibald published his first book Rebel Halfback with Macrae and Smith Publishers. Joseph Archibald would eventually publish over fifty books aimed at young boys. Most of these books focused on sports and military stories with titles such as Touchdown Glory, West Point Wingback, Right Field Rookie, and Special Forces Trooper. In addition, Archibald worked on television scripts and appeared as a guest cartoonist on national television programs.

Joseph Archibald resided for many years in Port Chester, New York where he was involved in amateur theater and the American Cancer Society. He died March 1, 1986 in Barrington, New Hampshire at the age of 87.