Horace Hooker

Horace Hooker (March 1793-December 17, 1864) was an American Congregationalist minister and author. He was the son of Elijah and Susanna (Seymour) Hooker, and was born in Kensington Society,

Berlin, Connecticut Berlin ( ) is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,175 at the 2020 census. It was incorporated in 1785. The geographic center of Connecticut is located in the town. Berlin is residential and industrial, a ...

. He was a descendant of Rev.

Thomas Hooker Thomas Hooker (July 5, 1586 – July 7, 1647) was a prominent English colonial leader and Congregational minister, who founded the Connecticut Colony after dissenting with Puritan leaders in Massachusetts. He was known as an outstanding spea ...

, first minister of

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

He fitted for college under the direction of Rev. Joab Brace, D. D., at Newington, Connecticut and graduated from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1815. After graduating, he was for about two years Principal of the Hartford Grammar School, from which he was called to be Tutor in Yale College, which office he held from 1817 to 1822. During this time he studied theology and was licensed to preach the gospel. In the year 1822, he was ordained as pastor of the Congregational Church in Watertown, Connecticut, where he remained about two years, being then compelled to resign his pastorate on account of ill-health. In 1824 he returned to Hartford and became editor of the '' Connecticut Observer'', a religious newspaper, which he conducted with ability for many years. He also held the office of Secretary of the Missionary Society of Connecticut, from 1826, and of the Connecticut Home Missionary Society, from 1831 till his death. In 1852, he was appointed Chaplain of the Retreat for the Insane, performing the duties of that office until incapacitated by an attack of paralysis in August, 1862. For several years previous to 1855, he spent his leisure time in the preparation of books for children. Among these were ''Child's Book on the Sabbath'', ''The Farmer'', ''Prophets and Prophecy'', and four volumes of ''Scripture Biography''. In connection with Rev. Dr. Gallaudet, he prepared ''The Practical Spelling Book,'' and ''The School and Family Dictionary.'' With the assistance of Rev. Dr. Daggett, he selected and arranged the ''Hymns and Psalms,'' as set forth by the General Association of Connecticut, in use for twenty years past in most of the Congregational Churches in this State. Mr. Hooker was a clear thinker, and expressed his thoughtfulness in a style remarkable for its neatness and perspicuity. He married, July 17, 1822, Mary Ann Brown, who died May 3, 1838, without children. He married Harriet Watkinson, Nov 22, 1843, who survived him. He died in Hartford, December 17, 1864, aged 71 years. He left a son, Thomas, and a daughter. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hooker, Horace 1793 births 1864 deaths People from Berlin, Connecticut Yale College alumni American Congregationalist ministers American male writers 19th-century American clergy