William Washington Gordon II was a member of the Georgia Hussars, a Savannah cavalry troop, and entered the Civil War as a lieutenant and was promoted to Captain. After the war, he served with the Georgia State Cavalry. W. W. served in the Georgia House of Representatives, 1884-1890. He entered the War of 1898 as brigadier general of the United States Volunteers. At the conclusion of the war, he served on the Commission of the United States for Puerto Rico, which oversaw the withdrawal of Spanish troops from the island. Although he never again ran for office, he maintained an interest in Georgia Democratic Party politics throughout his life.

He and Eleanor "Nellie" Kinzie of Chicago, Illinois, were married in 1857 and became the parents of Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA.