Lot 205
Hooper, William (1742-90) Signer of the Declaration of Independence. Autograph Document Signed ("Will Hooper Attrn Dom Reg") as attorney for the King, Superior Courts of Justice, Salisbury, North Carolina, September 5, 1768, 1 pg legal folio. Regarding the law suit of John Parker Vs. Daniel Clay. Hooper pens, in part, "The jurors for our Sovereign Lord the King upon their Oath present, that John Parker late of the county of rowan, Planter on the twenty second day of August in the Eighth year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third of Great Britain France and Ireland, King Defender of the Faith…with Force and Arms one Horse of the value of Six pence Sterling money of Great Britain of the goods and Chattels of one Daniel Clary then and there…did forcibly take and impound and retain in his Possession against the peace…." Moderate toning; some soiling and marginal chipping; a few small archival repairs on verso, else Very Good. Hooper's signature is a bold, handsome example. Hooper is in the very rare group of signers, considered a 4 out of 5 in rarity.
William Hooper was born in Boston; he graduated Harvard and studied law under James Otis, then settled in Wilmington, North Carolina in 1767. He represented Wilmington in the general assembly of 1773, in which he opposed the arbitrary measures of the crown and wrote a series of essays under the name "Hampden." He served in the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1777. After signing the Declaration of Independence, he served on committees regulating the post office, treasury, secret correspondence, appeals from the admiralty courts, and the laws relating to captures. In 1786, he was part of a commission to settle a boudary dispute between New York and Massachusetts. He filled various public offices in North Carolina until his retirement in 1787.
Estimated Value $5,000 - 6,000.
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| Realized $5,750 |
