Stuart McGuire Noblin was born in Radford, Virginia, in 1913. He received his bachelor's degree from Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, majoring in history, and graduating in 1933. He taught junior high school for a brief period in Durham, North Carolina, and then pursued graduate work in history at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He was awarded a Masters of Arts degree in 1935 and a PhD in 1947. While working on the PhD, Noblin taught history at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, and at Davis and Elkins College in West Virginia. Noblin came to Raleigh in 1947 and began work as an assistant professor at North Carolina State College. In 1951, he became an associate professor, and in 1957, a full professor.

Noblin was an authority on the history of the National Grange and American agricultural movements. He authored numerous articles and three books on the subject. These include and . His most important work is a full length biography of the nationally known farm leader Colonel Leonidas La Fayette Polk, titled . This is an account of the man who was North Carolina's first Commissioner of Agriculture, a leader in the establishment of North Carolina State University, and founder of the monthly farm publication, .

As an educator and historian at North Carolina State University, Noblin served as an advisor to the Student Publications Board. He was also active in the American Historical Association, the Southern Historical Association, the Historical Society of North Carolina, the American Association of University Professors, the State Grange, the Raleigh Torch Club, Organization of American Historians, the History of Education Society, and the Wake Historical Society.

Noblin was a leader in Raleigh's Institute of Religion. He studied churches in the South and was active in the movement for the peaceful desegregation of Raleigh. His work in the area led to the publication of a case study on the United Church of Raleigh through the Southern Historical Association in Washington, D.C. As a member of the United Church of Christ in Raleigh, Noblin served as the chairman of the church's Board of Deacons. He was also the church historian.

An expert chess player, Noblin labored diligently to promote the game in North Carolina, and worked cooperatively with chess associations at the national level to stage tournaments and exhibitions for the benefit of local chess enthusiasts. Noblin was the treasurer for the North Carolina Chess Association for two decades, and was the organization's president from 1961 to 1964.

Stuart Noblin was married to Evelyn Blanchard Noblin. His wife worked as a librarian in North Carolina State University's D. H. Hill Library. The couple shared a love of literature and history. Stuart McGuire Noblin died on January 10, 1977, at the age of sixty-three.