Harlan Stephen Hobbs was born in Paragould, Arkansas, on August 27, 1911, the son of Wiley and Anna Milner Hobbs. Harlan graduated from Little Rock High School in 1928. He attended Little Rock University in 1929-1930, and the University of Arkansas in 1931. A Journalism major, he apparently did not complete his studies. Rather, he worked as a feature writer for newspapers including the Arkansas Democrat and Arkansas Gazette, resulting in valuable experience and the development of key contacts. In 1936, he was named publicity director for the state of Arkansas, working with the Arkansas Centennial Commission Publicity Department. Resigning later that year, he worked with the Arkansas Democrat as feature editor until he was hired as publicist and special exploitation representative for Paramount Pictures in Hollywood, California, in 1938.

In Hollywood he developed working relationships with numerous celebrities, including Arkansas-born actors Bob Burns, Dick Powell, Chester Lum Lauck, and Norris Abner Goff. Through actress Gail Patrick he met Jean Edwards; they married on August 17, 1940, and had two children: Mary Gail and John.

In 1940 he teamed with Cliff Lewis, his supervisor at Paramount, to form the public relations firm of Lewis and Hobbs. For the next four years he remained with Lewis and Hobbs, and also served as special assistant to General Joseph F. Battley of the Office of Secretary of War in Washington, as well as the Los Angeles consultant to Owens-Illinois Glass Company. In 1945 he was hired by Owens-Illinois as its corporate advertising and public relations manager, moving to Toledo, Ohio. He remained with Owens-Illinois until 1960, serving in 1948-1955 as Sales Promotion and Division Sales Manager for Kimble Glass Company, an Owens-Illinois subsidiary. While in Toledo he became involved in organizations such as the Red Cross and Planned Parenthood, and also served on the board of the Toledo Zoological Society. He also organized the Ohio Citizens for Eisenhower, serving as its executive secretary in 1951-1952. A trustee of Defiance College, he befriended Kevin McCann, president of the college and a close associate of President Eisenhower. In 1955 Hobbs became president of Owens-Illinois subsidiary Glasco Products Company, and moved to Winnetka, Illinois. Hobbss association with McCann and Eisenhower led to him taking a trip to Little Rock in November, 1957, to investigate the Little Rock integration crisis.

Resigning from Owens-Illinois in 1960, he worked privately as a management consultant, coordinating businesses in the United States, Canada, and Europe. In 1962 he became vice-president and general manager of Canadian operations for Seiberling Rubber Company in Toronto, Canada. In 1963 his wife Jean died from cancer. He had a brief marriage to Cynthia Green Dierks that ended in divorce in 1974, and later to Nona, about whom little is known.

In 1965 he became vice president in charge of marketing for Interstate United Corporation in Chicago. In 1966 he served as a consultant to Winthrop Rockefeller, moving to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Afterwards he joined Chester Lauck in forming Lauck and Hobbs, and then he became employed with Jess Odom Enterprises. In 1977 he relocated to El Campo, Texas, where he served as manager of the El Campo Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture. He also wrote The Observer, a column for the El Campo Leader-News. He left El Campo in 1995, moving to St. Louis. He finally relocated to Tulare, California, where his son lived. He died at the age of 90 on January 24, 2002, following an unspecified illness.