In 1882 he moved west, first to Winnipeg to work in the Canadian Pacific Railway shops, and later settling in High River, Alberta.

[1][2] He became a ranch hand and manager for William Roper Hull and volunteered as a dispatch rider during the North-West Rebellion.

[2] He also served as the founding President of the United Farmers of Alberta High River Local in 1909.

[3] Riley helped to found the Western Stock Growers’ Association and served various positions in the organization from 1921 to 1937.

Riley was appointed to the Senate of Canada on the advice of Mackenzie King on June 26, 1926, and served until his death at Holy Cross Hospital in Calgary, on April 27, 1948.