Silas Beach Hays was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on February 18, 1902,[1] and was raised in Washington, D.C. and West Chester, Pennsylvania.

He graduated from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in 1940 and was assigned to the Finance and Supply Division in the Office of the Surgeon General.

In 1945, Hays returned to the United States and was appointed chief of the Supply Division in the Office of the Surgeon General.

[13][14] As Surgeon General, he responded to advances in nuclear weapons by supervising efforts to develop measures for protecting Soldiers against exposure to radioactivity and treating those exposed to it.

[15] In retirement, Hays resided in Arlington, Virginia, and was employed as Director of the Eastern Area Blood Program for the American Red Cross.