Introduction

Biography

Richard was the son of Tho­mas Wi­ley and Emi­ly Tay­lor, and hus­band of Mar­tha Ste­phens and Vir­gin­ia O’Neil.

After at­tend­ing pub­lic schools in Eli­za­beth, Wi­ley took a four year course through the Chau­tau­qua Li­ter­ary and Sci­en­ti­fic Cir­cle. Wash­ing­ton and Jef­fer­son Col­lege, Pitts­burgh, Penn­syl­van­ia, grant­ed Wi­ley an hon­or­ary de­gree of Doctor of Li­te­ra­ture in 1935.

Wiley man­aged a print­ing plant in Se­at­tle, Wash­ing­ton (1913–27), but spent most of his ca­reer in news­pa­pers. At one time, he owned and ed­it­ed the Eli­za­beth, Penn­syl­van­ia, Her­ald.

He con­tin­ued to write for the pa­per af­ter re­tir­ing in 1949. When he died, he was be­lieved to be the old­est ac­tive news­pa­per col­um­nist in Am­eri­ca.

Works

• Sleep Com­rades, Sleep and Rest (Eli­za­beth, Penn­syl­van­ia: R. T. Wi­ley, 1884)
• Elizabeth Me­tho­dist Epis­co­pal Church (Eli­za­beth, Penn­syl­van­ia: Her­ald Print­ing House, 1910)
• Elizabeth and Her Neigh­bors (But­ler, Penn­syl­van­ia: Zieg­ler Com­pa­ny, 1936)
• The Mo­non­ga­he­la, 1937