Bob was born in Wallace, Idaho. After high school, he attended the University of Idaho in Moscow where he received a B.A. in 1962 and an M.A. in 1963. Thereafter, he entered radio broadcasting until 1972. He was elected to the Montana Constitutional Convention which drafted a new constitution adopted by the electorate in 1973. He attended the University of Montana law school from 1973 until graduating in 1976. After a year of private practice, he joined the Cascade County Attorney's office from 1977 to 1980. He was appointed chief deputy county attorney in 1978. He returned to private practice in 1980.
