Born in Livingston County, New York,[Note 1] Rippey received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from the University of Rochester in 1898, and then taught mathematics at Wagner College.
In 1927, he was appointed by Governor Al Smith as a justice of the New York Supreme Court (7th District) to fill a vacancy, and remained on the bench until the end of 1928.
He was a member of the New York State Commission for the Revision of the Tax Laws from 1930 to 1936.
[1] Rippey was nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 9, 1934, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of New York vacated by Judge Simon L. Adler.
He remained on the Court of Appeals until the end of 1944 when he reached the constitutional age limit of 70 years.