Joseph Sayers attended Bastrop Military Institute and later entered public service, where he served as a state senator and lieutenant governor. He reversed Radical Republican legislation and presided over state Democratic conventions. Sayers spent significant time managing public land sales and differed on this issue with his superior, Governor Oran M. Roberts. Post-public service, he focused on law practice and held various board memberships, including the University of Texas System Board of Regents.

Joseph Sayers's political career is marked by a distinctive blend of ideological conservatism and strategic pragmatism. He staunchly reversed Radical Republican policies while serving as a state senator, yet his tenure as lieutenant governor reveals a surprising divergence from his governor on public land sales. Sayers's legislative actions and board memberships indicate a calculated approach to protecting regional interests, particularly in education and industrial regulation, while maintaining a firm stance on fiscal conservatism.