George Dumah Riley
George Dumah Riley | |
|---|---|
 1924 | |
| 26th State Auditor of Mississippi | |
| In office January 16, 1924 – January 16, 1928 | |
| Governor | Henry L. Whitfield Dennis Murphree |
| Preceded by | W. J. Miller |
| Succeeded by | Carl C. White |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 26, 1874 |
| Died | June 18, 1935 (aged 61) |
| Party | Democratic |
George Dumah Riley (March 26, 1874 - June 18, 1935) was an American politician. He served as State Auditor of Mississippi from 1924 to 1928.
Early life
[edit]George Dumah Riley was born in Hebron, Mississippi, on March 26, 1874.[1] He was the son of Confederate veteran Edward Madison Riley and Zillah Berry Riley.[1] Riley grew up on a farm.[2] He had four brothers: John F., S. Paul, J. Luke, and T. Jack, and a sister.[3] He attended the public schools of his native Lawrence County as well as Simpson County.[1] He then graduated from Hebron High School and the Mississippi Normal College.[1]
Career
[edit]Riley worked as a teacher at public schools in his early career.[1] He moved to Houston, Mississippi, in 1896.[2] From 1912 to 1924 he was Superintendent of Public Education of Chickasaw County.[1] For two years concurrently, Riley served as President of the Mississippi Association of County Superintendents.[1] In August 1923 Riley ran for the Democratic primary for State Auditor of Mississippi and won the November general election.[1] He served a term from 1924 to 1928.[1]
During his term, Riley "installed the first uniform system of accounts for the state institutions and of the counties" and persuaded the Legislature to have a uniform fiscal year.[1]
In March 1926, Riley announced his campaign for Governor of Mississippi.[4] In 1931, Riley ran for State Insurance Commissioner.[2] He was elected to a four-year term starting in 1932.[5] In 1935, he announced he was running for re-election.[3] Nobody had announced a campaign opposing him.[6] Riley died in office after a ten-day illness on June 18, 1935, in Jackson.[3] He died at 1:05 PM of a cerebral hemorrhage.[7] J. H. Johnson was appointed by Governor Conner to succeed Riley as Insurance Commissioner.[8]
Personal life
[edit]Riley was an active Freemason, where he held offices at state and national levels.[1] He was married to Lillie Amanda Dexter.[1] They had three children: George Evans, Lillian Dyer, and Gertrude Inez.[1]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Rowland, Dunbar (1924). The Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi. Department of Archives and History.
- 1 2 3 "George D. Riley Candidate for Insurance Commissioner". Clarion-Ledger. 1931-08-02. p. 27. Retrieved 2025-08-04.
- 1 2 3 "Obituary for George Dumah Riley". The Commercial Appeal. 1935-06-19. p. 16. Retrieved 2025-08-04.
- ↑ "Auditor George D. Riley Announces for Governor". Clarion-Ledger. 1926-03-07. p. 13. Retrieved 2025-08-04.
- ↑ "2024-2028 Mississippi Blue Book | Michael Watson Secretary of state". sos.ms.gov. p. 538. Retrieved 2025-08-04.
- ↑ "Death Claims George D. Riley". The Greenwood Commonwealth. 1935-06-18. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-08-04.
- ↑ "Geo D. Riley". The Picayune Item. 1935-06-20. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-08-04.
- ↑ "Governor Appoints Johnson to Succeed George Riley". Clarion-Ledger. 1935-06-27. p. 16. Retrieved 2025-08-04.