Robert Sanford Riley

Robert Sanford Riley (July 26, 1874 – May 7, 1926) was a Canadian-American engineer, inventor, and manufacturer. The Sanford Riley Hall, the first residential hall of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, has been named after him.

Early life and education Riley was born on July 26, 1874, in Hamilton, Ontario, to Harriet Murgatroyd and Robert Thomas Riley. Both of his parents descended from Yorkshire ancestors with his great-grandfather being an officer at the Napoleonic Wars.

He spent his boyhood in Winnipeg and attended the University of Winnipeg Collegiate. He served apprenticeship in mechanical engineering at the Northern Pacific Railroad in Winnipeg from 1890 to 1893.

Career After graduating from WPI, he spent first year teaching at Atlanta University (now part of Clark Atlanta University) and his second year at the Washburn Shops in his alma mater. thumb Advertisement for Sanford Riley Stoker in 1924The company then reorganized into the Riley Stoker Corporation and acquired numerous types of stokers through the purchase of other companies such as the Murphy Iron Works, the United Machine and Manufacturing Co., the Underfeed Stoker Co., the A. W. Cash Co., and the Craig Dampner Regulator Co.

He had also served as the President of the WPI Alumni Association and vice-president of Worcester's Young Men Christian Association.

Personal life During his time in college, Riley was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He was also a member of the American Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, where he held the certificate of Extra First Class Engineer issued by the British board of trade and the certificate of Chief Engineer in the United States.

He also served as member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Appalachian Mountain Club and the American Alpine Club. He attended the Congregationalist Church and was interested in the local YMCA.

Riley was said to have been a Progressive Republican interested in civic affairs.

He married in 1904 to Katherine E. Higgins, daughter of Milton P. Higgins, where they had five children together.