Harley served as a colonel in the South Carolina National Guard and as sergeant of Company L, 1st SC Volunteers in the Spanish–American War. He also worked as a lawyer, where he fought on behalf of three major railway companies including: the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, Southern Railway, as well as the Seaboard Airline Railroad. As a member of the democratic party, Harley was a delegate at the 1908, 1924, 1928, and 1932 party conventions.[1] Harley also served as the mayor of Barnwell, South Carolina for ten years from 1912-1922.[2]
On February 27, 1942, Governor Harley died in office after having served only four months. He died of terminal throat cancer. Harley could only communicate by writing in the last months of his life. He is buried in Baptist Cemetery, Barnwell, South Carolina.
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