James Hooker, judge and early Texas legislator, was born on May 31, 1807, in Smith County, Tennessee, the son of Thomas and Sarah (Walker) Hooker. He married Mary Elizabeth Kitching on November 22, 1823; they had nine children. Hooker and his family came to Texas from Missouri in 1840 and settled in the area that is now Rains and Hunt counties. The Republic of Texasqv granted 640 acres of land to him, and he was named to the board of commissioners to choose the county seat for Hunt County. He owned the first steam mill in the area and was postmaster of Hooker's Mill Settlement. Hooker served in the Fourth and Sixth Texas legislatures. He was a member of the Secession Conventionqv and voted to leave the United States in 1861. Hooker died on December 29, 1865, and is buried in Hooker Cemetery in the community of Hooker Ridge. His house, situated on land that eventually became part of Rains County, is now submerged by Lake Tawakoni.

Submitted by Kaki Bassi