 He taught high school history at Delphi and Muncie, Indiana, and Springfield, Illinois, before receiving his PhD from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1925.In 1925–1964 Buley was a professor of history at Indiana University, serving as emeritus professor from 1964 until his death on April 25, 1968, at the age of 74.Buley authored numerous articles, reviews, and books, winning the 1951 Pulitzer Prize for History for his 2-volume work "The Old Northwest