Foley worked as a laborer for the
Great Northern Railway from 1946 to 1947, then joined the
United States Navy from 1947 to 1952, serving in the
Korean War. He was a
security officer at the Twin City Arsenal from 1952 to 1954, then became a member of the
Minnesota State Patrol from 1954 to 1987. He attended the
University of Minnesota and
Metropolitan State University, earning his
B.A. in
public administration in 1974. He later attended
Northwestern University and
Minnesota State University, Mankato, earning a
M.A. in public administration in 1979. After retiring from the
Minnesota State Patrol as a major in 1987, Foley worked as security manager for
Unisys Corporation from 1987 to 1990. He was a
deputy sheriff with the Anoka County Sheriff's Department from 1990 to 1992, then worked as a law clerk with the Anoka County Attorney's Office while earning his
J.D. degree from
William Mitchell College of Law in
Saint Paul, which he received in 1994. From 1994 onwards he was an assistant county attorney for Anoka County. ==Community service==