Joseph was born in Cap-Haïtien, Haiti. At the age of 15, Joseph was sent to Beauvais, France to study. After graduating with an engineering degree, he married a French woman named Juliette Lafargue. Due to the racial discrimination of the times, however, he had difficulty finding work. Tired of living off his wine seller father-in-law, he decided to return to Haiti with his growing family. His uncle, Cincinnatus Leconte, the President of Haiti, arranged a job for him as a math teacher.
