Samuel Wyche Getzen was born on February 13, 1898, in Lake City, Florida, the son of James Culbreath Getzen (1866–1937), a farmer and naval stores operator, and Willie Florence née Thompson (1869–1955). He grew up in Sumter County, Florida, attending Columbia College and the University of Florida. He married Josephine Brooks (1902–1995) in 1921.
