Academy in Nicholasville, Kentucky, and the Kentucky Agricultural and Mechanical College (later the University of Kentucky) before graduating with an A.B. from Centre College in 1889. At both Centre and Kentucky A&M, he competed at the State Oratorical Contest, becoming the only such competitor to represent two different institutions. For a year after graduation, Stanley served as chair of belles-lettres at Christian College in Hustonville, Kentucky. The following year, he was principal of Marion Academy in Bradfordsville, then spent two years in the same position at Mackville Academy in Mackville. While he held these positions, he studied law under Gilbert Cassiday. He was admitted to the bar in 1894, and opened his practice in Flemingsburg, Kentucky. Political career Stanley's first venture into the political arena was in 1897 when he made an unsuccessful bid to become county attorney of Fleming County. He continued to practice law in Flemingsburg until March 1898 when he moved to Henderson because of financial hardships. He served as a Democratic presidential elector on the ticket of William Jennings Bryan in 1900. House of Representatives In 1902, Stanley was elected as a U.S. Representative from Kentucky's 2nd congressional district. During his tenure in the House, he served on the Committee on Mines and Mining, the Committee on Territories, and the Committee on Agriculture. He advocated for progressive reforms such as more extensive study of mine accident prevention, railroad regulation, a pure food and drug act, and an eight-hour work day. By the time of Stanley's election to the House, the American Tobacco Company had eliminated all its substantial competitors either by acquisition or by driving them out of business. The company worked with British tobacco manufacturers to set tobacco prices worldwide. Congressman Stanley came to the defense of the tobacco farmers of his district, making him virtually unbeatable as a congressional candidate. In the first of his five consecutive terms, he authored a bill that would remove an oppressive national tobacco tax, hoping this would help raise prices for unprocessed tobacco. The bill was defeated by extensive lobbying efforts by the American Tobacco Company. In 1904, he convinced the Ways and Means Committee to hold public hearings on the American Tobacco Company's monopolistic actions, but the hearings did not convince legislators to repeal the tax nor take action against the American Tobacco Company. Besides his legislative efforts on behalf of farmers, Stanley also directly encouraged them