Ripley was born on December 26, 1890 in Santa Rosa, California. He was married to Beatrice Roberts from 1919 until they divorced in 1926. Ripley lived in New York City, New York, Los Angeles, California, Chicago, Illinois, Miami, Florida, Bedford, Iowa, and in Santa Rosa, California. Ripley died on May 27, 1949, in New York City, New York from a heart attack, aged 58.