Bob Backus was born in 1939 and raised in Goffstown, NH. His father worked as a country doctor and his mother was active on the School Board.
As a young man, Bob often joined his father as he made house calls to patients. Bob often witnessed his father make many of these house calls without getting paid for the patients who couldn’t afford it. It was on these visits that Bob gained a deep appreciation for the beauty of New Hampshire and a desire for helping his fellow man.
Bob attended both public school and the Holderness school. In high school Bob played football and tennis and was an award winning member of his high school’s debate team.
Bob attended Wesleyan University for his undergraduate degree and received his law degree (cum laude) from Harvard University. When Bob returned to Manchester he chose to open his own law firm that would work for the people. It was nearly forty years ago that he opened the doors of Backus, Meyer and Branch so that he could represent citizen groups at low cost.
In 2006, Bob ran for New Hampshire State Senate in District 16 where he came within 314 of upsetting the then Senate President Ted Gatsas. Despite the loss, Bob’s strong campaign was credited with helping the Democratic party obtain the majority in both houses of the New Hampshire General Court.
As a husband and father, Bob has worked to instill in his family the same values of commitment and service that his parents inspired in him. Bob is happily married to Carol Backus, who works for the National Education Association (NEA) as Coordinator of Communication. He is the proud father of two adult children, Gillian and Brad, who have both earned their PhDs.
Bob started his law firm in Manchester nearly forty years ago and since then he has worked tirelessly on environmental and energy issues. He has served as President of the Campaign for Ratepayers’ Rights and a board member of the Conservation Law Foundation, Beyond Nuclear and the Nuclear Information and Research Service.
