Hooker, Thomas (1586-1647), was a Congregational preacher and a founder of Connecticut. Hooker exerted strong influence in the drafting of the Fundamental Orders, a document under which Connecticut was long governed.
Born in Leicestershire, England, Hooker was educated at Cambridge University and became famous as a preacher. Because of his Puritan beliefs, he fled to the Netherlands in 1630. He went to Newtowne (now Cambridge), Mass., in 1633, and settled as pastor. But his liberal beliefs clashed with Massachusetts conservatism. He thought each church should be independent, and that the people had a right to choose their magistrates and decide what powers they should have. So Hooker moved with his church members to Connecticut in 1636. He died on July 7, 1647.
