Hooper, William (1742-1790), was a North Carolina signer of the Declaration of Independence. He served in the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1777 and in all five North Carolina provincial congresses. He favored a mild policy toward the Americans who sided with the British during the Revolutionary War in America (1775-1783), though the British destroyed his property. He strongly supported ratifying (passing) the Constitution of the United States. Hooper was born on June 17, 1742, in Boston and graduated from Harvard College. He studied law under James Otis, a leader in the independence movement, who probably influenced his opinions. Hooper died on Oct. 14, 1790.
