He represented the electoral district of Halifax Cobequid in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1970 to 1974.
A businessman, he attended Daniel Mclntyre Collegiate and the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.
[2] Riley entered provincial politics in the 1970 election, defeating Progressive Conservative incumbent Gordon H. Fitzgerald by over 1000 votes in Halifax Cobequid.
[3] On November 24, 1971, Riley was appointed to the Executive Council of Nova Scotia as Minister of Public Works.
[5] Riley died on August 28, 2002, at QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax.