Frederick John Riley (18 May 1886 – 2 April 1970) was an Australian political activist and trade unionist. Riley was born at Stirling in South Australia to blacksmith Frederick Riley, an early Labor Party activist and local councillor, and Susannah, née Williams. He left school at twelve and worked as a labourer. During a period in Sydney he was involved in socialist circles with Harry Holland. He was imprisoned for a week at Wollongong in 1914 after ignoring a policeman's demand to stop addressing a free speech public meeting. He became secretary of the Australian Peace Alliance's Victorian council in 1916, and was often fined over involvement in brawls at anti-conscription demonstrations; on one occasion he received a fine after protecting female speakers, including Vida Goldstein, from