Hooper, William, 1742-1790

William Hooper (June 28, 1742 – October 14, 1790) was an American Founding Father, lawyer, politician, and a member of the Continental Congress representing North Carolina from 1774 through 1777. Hooper signed the Continental Association and the United States Declaration of Independence.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Hooper graduated from Boston Latin School and Harvard College before studying law under James Otis, a popular attorney in Boston who was regarded as a radical. Once completing his bar exam, he decided to leave Massachusetts in part because of the abundance of lawyers in Boston. In 1764 Hooper moved temporarily to Wilmington, North Carolina, where he began to practice law and became the circuit court lawyer for Cape Fear. Hooper began to build a highly respected reputation in North Carolina among the wealthy farmers as well as fellow lawyers. Hooper moved quickly up the ranks, first in 1769 when he was appointed as deputy attorney of the Salisbury District, and then in 1770 when he was appointed deputy Attorney General of North Carolina. Initially, Hooper supported the British colonial government of North Carolina. As deputy attorney general, in 1768 Hooper worked with Colonial Governor William Tryon to suppress a rebellious group known as the Regulators who participated in the War of the Regulation.

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