Bob Cowley Riley^[1] (September 18, 1924 – February 16, 1994) was an American politician. He served as Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas from 1971 to 1975, and as Governor of Arkansas for nine days in 1975.

Riley was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on September 18, 1924, the son of Columbus Allen and Winnie (Craig) Riley.^[2] He attended the Pulaski County Rural School and Little Rock Central High School; attracted to politics from an early age, as a teenager he was a page for the Arkansas General Assembly during its 1937 session.^[2]

After the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, he left high school early to join the United States Marine Corps for World War II.^[2] Riley served in the Pacific Theater and attained the rank of corporal.^[2] On July 21, 1944, Riley was leading a rifle squad from Company L, 3rd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment in an assault against a Japanese machine gun emplacement on the island of Guam when he was severely wounded.^[2] He was hospitalized for more than a year, and his wartime service left him with severe pain.^[2] Riley’s left eye was removed, and he briefly had minimal light perception in his right eye, which soon dissipated.^[1] During his post-military life, Riley learned Braille, used a walking stick, and relied on his wife and others to guide him when he walked.^[1] Riley's Marine Corps unit was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, while Riley received the Purple Heart.^[3]

While serving in the military, Riley had a minor role in the 1943 film Salute to the Marines.^[4] He played the part of a hidden Japanese soldier who surprises the main characters, which required him to wear heavy camouflage makeup.^[4]

In 1945, Riley enrolled at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas where he earned his BA in 1950, his MA in 1951, and his EdD in 1957.^[2] While pursuing his education, he worked as an insurance broker and became active in Democratic Party politics.^[2] He served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1947 to 1951.^[2] In 1950, he was an unsuccessful candidate for the Arkansas Senate.^[2]

Beginning in 1951, Riley taught courses in economics and political science at Little Rock University.^[2] In 1957, he was appointed associate professor of history and political science at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.^[2] Under his leadership, the political science faculty were organized as a separate department, of which he was appointed chairman.^[2] A highly regarded instructor, Riley was promoted to full professor in 1958 and chaired the university's social science division from 1960 to 1974.^[2]

Riley was elected to the Arkadelphia City Council in 1960, and he served until 1967; during his last two years, he was the city's mayor.^[2] In 1968, he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.^[2] In 1970, Riley was elected lieutenant governor.^[5] He was reelected in 1972 and served from 1971 to 1975.^[2] In 1974, Riley was a candidate for the Democratic Party's nomination for governor; he was suffering from ill health and finished third in the primary, while the general election was won by David Pryor.^[2] In January 1975, Governor Dale Bumpers resigned to accept the U.S. Senate seat to which he was elected in 1974; Riley served the last nine days of Bumpers' gubernatorial term, and was the nation's first blind governor.^[6][7]

Riley continued to teach at Ouachita Baptist University until retiring in 1980.^[2] He died in Arkadelphia on February 16, 1994.^[2] He was buried at Rest Haven Memorial Gardens in Arkadelphia.^[2]

Riley married Claudia Zimmerman in 1956.^[2] Their daughter Megen was born in 1959.^[2]