George Washington Hays was born in Camden, Arkansas. He attended public schools in Camden and worked as a farmer. Hays studied law at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.
Hays was probate and county judge for Ouachita County, Arkansas between 1900 and 1905. Hays served as a judge with the 13th Circuit Court from 1906 to 1913.
When Governor Joseph Taylor Robinson resigned in 1913 a special election was held and Hays was elected Governor of Arkansas. His administration focused on road improvement, enactment of a statewide prohibition law. The Hays administration also enacted a child labor law and completed construction of the new state capitol building. Hays won reelection in a contested election in 1912.
Hays returned to private law practice after his turn. George Washington Hays died in Little Rock, Arkansas of influenza and pneumonia and is buried in Camden, Arkansas.