He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1941 to 1949, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of Stuart Garson and Douglas Campbell.
Agathe, and served overseas in World War I from 1915 to 1918 as a member of the Royal Canadian Engineers.
Although elected as an independent, Dryden was a supporter of the coalition government led by Liberal-Progressive Premier John Bracken.
Dryden was appointed to Stuart Garson's cabinet on February 4, 1944, as Minister of Education.
Returned without difficulty in the 1945 election, he held this position until December 14, 1948, while he was promoted to Provincial Treasurer by Garson's replacement, Douglas Lloyd Campbell.