[3] In 1852, Niles graduated from Williams College[4] and began reading law in the office of Increase Sumner at Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and with Rufus King at Catskill, New York.
[10] In November 1867, he ruled against the Chinese and extended the California Statute "forbidding Chinese to give evidence against any white person", in the light of U.S. Civil Rights Law, to "against any citizen without distinction of color" [11]—indicative of the struggles of judges in trying to adhere to equal justice while applying an inherently racist law.
[12] In 1871, Niles was nominated by the Republican party and won the election as a justice of the California Supreme Court.
[15] In 1879, all seats of the Supreme Court were up for election due to the new constitution, and Niles chose not run for re-election.
[19][20] In April 1870, Central Pacific Railroad activated a new junction near Vallejo Mill to service trains on the first transcontinental mainline and those on the branch to San José.