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 | (1874-03-26)March 26, 1874 |
| Died | June 18, 1935(1935-06-18) (aged 61) |
| Political party | Democratic |
George Dumah Riley (March 26, 1874 - June 18, 1935) was an American politician. He served asState Auditor of Mississippi from 1924 to 1928.
George Dumah Riley was born inHebron, Mississippi, on March 26, 1874.[1] He was the son ofConfederate 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 nativeLawrence County as well asSimpson County.[1] He then graduated fromHebron High School and theMississippi Normal College.[1]
Riley worked as a teacher at public schools in his early career.[1] He moved toHouston, Mississippi, in 1896.[2] From 1912 to 1924 he was Superintendent of Public Education ofChickasaw County.[1] For two years concurrently, Riley served as President of the Mississippi Association of County Superintendents.[1] In August 1923 Riley ran for theDemocratic primary forState 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 forGovernor 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, inJackson.[3] He died at 1:05 PM of acerebral hemorrhage.[7] J. H. Johnson was appointed by GovernorConner to succeed Riley as Insurance Commissioner.[8]
Riley was an activeFreemason, 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]