Lyman Hall - Signer of the Declartion of Independence Biography by
Appleton's edited by Stanley L. Klos
William Hooper
Signer of the Declaration of Independence
WILLIAM
HOOPER was born on June 28, 1742 in Boston.His
father, a Scotch Congregationalist minister, wanted him to be a man of the
cloth.However, Hooper chose law.He
graduated from Harvard College in 1760, then worked in the law offices of James
Otis, an aggressive opponent of British rule and taxation.
Hooper
moved to Wilmington, North Carolina after he passed his bar examination.He
married Anne Clark, her family a member of the gentry of the Cape Fear district,
and became a successful lawyer.They
eventually had three children, two sons and a daughter.He
was so popular that in 1770 he was appointed deputy attorney general for the
Colony of North Carolina.In 1773 he
was elected to the colonial legislature, followed in 1774 by his election to the
Continental congress.
Hooper was of medium height, but his
appearance was delicate and he was slender. He was intelligent, polite and
engaging, although towards those that he didn't know well, he was somewhat
reserved.He was distinguished for
his powers of conversation and as a lawyer he was distinguished for his
professional knowledge, and unflagging enthusiasm in respect to business.Towards
his fellow lawyers he maintained a high and honorable course of conduct and
particularly towards the younger members of the bar.As
a politician, he was characterized for judgment, ardor, and constancy.In
times of the greatest political difficulty and danger, he was calm, but
resolute. He never desponded but trusted the justice of his country's cause, he
had an unshaken confidence that heaven would protect and deliver her.
By
the time he arrived at the Second Continental congress, Hooper was dead set
against British rule.He continued
to condemn Britain's hold over the colonies.Interestingly,
his father supported the King and was unhappy with his son's political belief in
total freedom for Americans.Hooper
did not advocate violence, but he could see that compromise with Britain was not
possible.
In January 1776, Hooper was
appointed, with Franklin and Livingston, to a committee to develop a method of
honoring the memory of General Montgomery, who had recently fallen at Quebec.
This committee recommended the erection of a monument, which, while it expressed
the respect and affection of the colonies, would record the patriotic zeal and
fidelity, enterprise and perseverance of General Montgomery.In
observance with the recommendation of the committee, a monument was erected by
congress in the city of New York.
In the spring of 1776, Hooper's
private business so greatly needed his attention in North Carolina, that he did
not attend congress. He returned in time to cast his vote for and sign the
Declaration of Independence. On December 20, 1776, he was elected a
delegate to congress for the third time.However,
the situation at home in North Carolina made it impossible for him to spend more
time away in Philadelphia.Accordingly,
in February 1777, he resigned his seat in congress.
Hooper continued his law practice
and remained for a while on the North Carolina state legislature.During
the Revolutionary War, the British tried, but were unable to capture Hooper or
harm his family.They did in
vindictiveness, however, torch his estate and leave his property completely
devastated when they captured Wilmington.Hooper
moved to Hillsboro where he remained to some extent in public life as a state
legislator, but never regained his early prominence.Like
many other patriots, he did not allow himself to wallow in his misery. While to
others his prospects appeared doubtful, he would always point to some brighter
spots on the canvass, and he focused on these.
In 1787 Hooper's health became
considerably impaired. He gradually relaxed from public and professional
efforts, and a short time later he retired, which was something he had always
wanted to do.Hooper died in
Hillsboro, North Carolina on October 14, 1790 at the age of forty-eight.
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