Robert Lettis Hooper Jr (1730 – July 30, 1797) was a soldier in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...

, later a member of the

New Jersey Legislative Council The New Jersey Legislative Council was the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature under the New Jersey Constitution of 1776 until it was replaced by the New Jersey Senate under the Constitution of 1844. History The Legislative Council replace ...

, of which he was

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is o ...

Early life

Hooper was born about 1730 and was the third in succession to bear that name. His grandfather, Robert Lettis Hooper, had been Chief Justice of the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases challenging t ...

, and a member of the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

, among other political offices. His great-grandfather Daniel Hooper, a native of

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate ...

, was a judge in Elizabethtown and Newark, and was of the

East New Jersey Provincial Council The East New Jersey Provincial Council or Governor's Council was the upper house of the East New Jersey Legislature under proprietary rule until the surrender of the right of government to The Crown, and Queen Anne's acceptance. History The Cou ...

. A miller, he was later a merchant in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, but owing to financial problems he closed his business. Traveling west, Hooper visited with

Sir William Johnson Sir William Johnson, 1st Baronet of New York ( – 11 July 1774), was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Ireland. As a young man, Johnson moved to the Province of New York to manage an estate purchased by his uncle, Royal Na ...

in June, 1765. Afterwards he engaged in surveying for the proposed Colony of Vandalia, and was an applicant for its

Surveyor General A surveyor general is an official responsible for government surveying in a specific country or territory. Historically, this would often have been a military appointment, but it is now more likely to be a civilian post. The following surveyor gen ...

if a government was established. Although this position never materialized, it led to Hooper being appointed by Governor

William Franklin William Franklin (22 February 1730 – 17 November 1813) was an American-born attorney, soldier, politician, and colonial administrator. He was the acknowledged illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin. William Franklin was the last colonial Gov ...

to report on the country he had surveyed.

Revolutionary activity

During the 1770s, Hooper Jr. lived at various times in Philadelphia,

Northampton County, Pennsylvania Northampton County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 312,951. Its county seat is Easton. The county was formed in 1752 from parts of Bucks County. Its namesake was Northamptonshire, En ...

, and

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the capital city, capital city (New Jersey), city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.

. While in Philadelphia, he observed

troops A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troo ...

training in August 1775 and joined. Relocating to Northampton County, Hooper was made a Deputy Quartermaster General with the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

. His department covered Northampton,

, Bucks and Berks Counties in Pennsylvania, and

Sussex County, New Jersey Sussex County is the northernmost county in the State of New Jersey. Its county seat is Newton. ...

. Hooper made his headquarters in Easton, and made his residence at Saucon Township. In 1777, Hooper objected to the form of an oath of allegiance and refused to take the oath, and influenced others to refuse as well. This resulted in suspicion that Hooper held

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

sympathies. In early 1778, with different language in the form of oath, Hooper subscribed to it, and the suspicion died. On July 15, 1780,

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

, found military "posts without troops there stationed and in the Continental service" burdensome and expensive, and reorganized the Quartermaster's Department, legislating Hooper out of office effective August 1.

Later years

After the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolu ...

, Hooper became an

ironmaster An ironmaster is the manager, and usually owner, of a forge or blast furnace for the processing of iron. It is a term mainly associated with the period of the Industrial Revolution, especially in Great Britain. The ironmaster was usually a larg ...

Ringwood, New Jersey Ringwood is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 11,735, a decline of 493 (−4.0%) from the 2010 census count of 12,228,Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

, along with

William Livingston William Livingston (November 30, 1723July 25, 1790) was an American politician who served as the first governor of New Jersey (1776–1790) during the American Revolutionary War. As a New Jersey representative in the Continental Congress, he sig ...

Elias Boudinot Elias Boudinot ( ; May 2, 1740 – October 24, 1821) was a lawyer and statesman from Elizabeth, New Jersey who was a delegate to the Continental Congress (more accurately referred to as the Congress of the Confederation) and served as President ...

and Thomas Henderson. He was also active in

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, having been the first Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of New Jersey of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and was the first Senior Warden of Trenton Lodge No. 5. Hooper was a member of Union Fire Company, of Trenton. Hooper died at his estate in

Belleville, New Jersey Belleville (French: "Belle ville" meaning "Beautiful city / town") is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township's population was 38,222, reflecting an increase of 6.4% from ...

on July 30, 1797.

Political activity

Robert Lettis Hooper Jr served as a Justice of the Peace for Hunterdon County, of which Trenton was a part at the time, and was a judge of the Hunterdon County Court of Common Pleas in 1782, 1787 and 1792. In 1785, he was elected from Hunterdon County a member of the New Jersey Legislative Council, the

upper house An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restric ...

of the

New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and th ...

, serving three, one year terms. He served as vice president for the entire three years.

Family

Hooper was married to Margaret Biles, who was living as late as 1779. In 1781 he married Mrs. Elizabeth Erskine, the widow of

Robert Erskine Robert Erskine (1735–1780) was a Scottish inventor and engineer who came to the British colonial Province of New Jersey in 1771 to run the ironworks at Ringwood, New Jersey. He subsequently became sympathetic to the movement for independenc ...

, F. R. S., Geographer and Surveyor General of the Continental Army and ironmaster at Ringwood. The second Mrs. Hooper died in 1796. Hooper left no surviving children. One son, Robert Lettis Hooper, was born on July 2, 1788, but died in 1790, being buried at

Christ Church, Philadelphia Christ Church is an Episcopal church in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1695 as a parish of the Church of England, it played an integral role in the founding of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States. In 1785 ...

, on September 3, 1790. Hooper's sister was Isabella Hooper Johnston.''Robert Lettis Hooper, Deputy Quarter-Master General in the Continental Army and Vice-President of New Jersey''; Charles Henry Hart; Philadelphia, 1912, p. 30

References

External links

Robert Lettis Hooper, Deputy Quarter-Master General in the Continental Army and Vice-President of New Jersey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hooper, Robert Lettis Jr 1730s births 1797 deaths 18th-century American politicians American people of Barbadian descent American people of English descent Continental Army officers from New Jersey Continental Army officers from Pennsylvania Members of the New Jersey Legislative Council New Jersey state court judges People from Hunterdon County, New Jersey Politicians from Northampton County, Pennsylvania Politicians from Philadelphia Politicians from Trenton, New Jersey