July 19, 2011

Bob Cowley Riley, shown in his official state portrait, overcame debilitating war injuries to serve with distinction as a politician and educator. His political career spanned four decades. In 1970, he was elected to the first of two terms as lieutenant governor (1971–1975). Riley served eleven days as governor in 1975 after Governor Dale Bumpers vacated the office to take his recently won seat in the U.S. Senate.