Ley served in the lower house of the New South Wales parliament (1917-25) as member for Hurstville from 1917 to 1920, representing the Nationalist Party of Australia, and St George from 1920 to 1925, representing the Progressive Party from 1920 to 1922 [REF].
Shortly after he became Minister for Justice, Ley made an official visit to Western Australia and there was introduced to Maggie Evelyn Brook, a magistrate's wife.