George B. Riley has been a resident of Lake County for thirty five years past, and is considered one of the representative men of that county, and was the son of George E. and Mary (Castle) Riley. His father was born in Henry County, Tennessee, February 1816; his mother in North Carolina in 1818. Mr. George Riley was a farmer and mechanic, and was married in Weakley County, Tennessee December 25, 1835. From this union were nine children, seven boys and two girls. The parents moved to Lake County in 1852, where the father died April 6, 1859, and the mother died February 14, 1867. They were both members of the Missionary Baptist Church, and Mr. Riley, Sr. was a Democrat.
Geo. B. Riley, our subject, was of Irish descent on the father’s side and of English on the mother’s. He was born in Weakley County December 10, 1839 and as he was raised on the farm, his educational advantages were limited; he worked on the farm and remained with his parents until they died. In 1862 he volunteered under Colonel A. W. Campbell of the thirty third Tennessee Infantry and ranked as second lieutenant; was severely wounded at the battle of Shiloh, and discharged on account of ill health. Mr. Riley is a democrat has been a magistrate for fourteen years, and is now chairman of the Lake County court, and is now in the milling business, owning a saw and grist mill in the third district. He has been quite successful as a farmer, owning 4,000 acres of good timber land, 100 of it being under cultivation. Mr. Riley is a liberal, upright man.