Hubbard was born in Newcastle, New Brunswick. In 1961, he graduated from the Royal Canadian School of Infantry and served briefly with Canadian Guards in Germany and later as a platoon officer, quartermaster, adjutant, company commander and Deputy commander of 2 Royal New Brunswick Regiment (NS).
Active in his church [1] and community, he was deeply involved in many community organizations. This included some 17 years as a Director and President of Northumberland Cooperative Dairy Ltd.
Hubbard had a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in History and Economics, and continued with a Master of Arts in History and a Bachelor of Education degree.[citation needed]