Wiley was born in
Bordeaux, France, while his father served there as
U.S. Consul. He was educated by
tutors and studied at
Union College,
Columbia Law School, and
Georgetown University Law Center. While at Union College, he joined the Theta chapter of the
Psi Upsilon fraternity. He entered the
United States Foreign Service in 1915 and served in several positions in
Europe and
South America. Wiley was a Counselor of Embassy in Moscow in 1934. From 1935 to 1937, he served as the
Consul General at
Antwerp. In 1938, he was the
Chargé d'Affaires ad interim in
Austria, the Envoy Extraordinary, and the Minister Plenipotentiary to
Latvia and
Estonia (the last
ambassador before the
Soviet occupation in 1940). After World War II, Wiley headed the negotiations with the
Soviet Union to liquidate
lend-lease accounts that allowed the US to provide arms for the
Allied Powers. He went on to receive appointments as
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to
Colombia,
Portugal,
Iran, and
Panama. While he was the ambassador to Portugal, Wiley negotiated the acquisition of US naval and air stations in the
Azores. ==Retirement==