George Hiles was a businessman, land speculator, and politician.

Hiles was born in Farmington, Michigan

Farmington, Michigan

Farmington is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a northern suburb of Detroit and is part of the Metro Detroit area. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,372. It is fully surrounded by Farmington Hills, except for a small portion bordered by Livonia to the...

. He moved to Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

 in 1844 settling in Baraboo

Baraboo, Wisconsin

Baraboo is the largest city in, and the county seat of Sauk County, Wisconsin, USA. It is situated on the Baraboo River. Its 2010 population was 12,048 according to the US Census Bureau...

 where he worked as a sawmill operator. In 1850 he moved to Wood County, where he helped found the sawmill town Dexterville

Dexterville, Wisconsin

Dexterville is an unincorporated community located in the town of Dexter, Wood County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located at the intersection of Wisconsin Highway 80 and Wisconsin Highway 54....

, invested in the mills of Pittsville

Pittsville, Wisconsin

Pittsville is a city in Wood County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 866 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Pittsville is located at...

, and owned a mineral water spring in Arcadia

Arcadia, Wisconsin

Arcadia is a city in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, along the Trempealeau River. The population was 2,925 at the 2010 census. It is the largest city in Trempealeau county.-History:...

.

He represented Marathon

Marathon County, Wisconsin

Marathon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is part of the Wausau, WI, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 134,063. Its county seat is Wausau.-Geography:...

 and Wood counties in the Wisconsin State Assembly

Wisconsin State Assembly

The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin....

 as a Democrat in 1867. He was defeated by George Ransom Gardner for the seat in 1883.

In the 1870s and 1880s he became involved in railroads. He built a major portion of the Green Bay, Winona and St. Paul Railroad, and constructed the Milwaukee, Dexterville, and Northern Railroad which was later acquired by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad

The Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until its merger into the Soo Line Railroad on January 1, 1986. The company went through several official names...

.

Hiles moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...

in 1886. He died in 1896 and is buried in Dexterville Cemetery in Dexterville.