George Hooper was born in Boston, Massachusetts in about 1744 and moved to Wilmington, North Carolina with his brothers William and Thomas in 1764. A merchant, Hooper served on several Patriot committees and, beginning in 1778, as clerk of court. However, Hooper fell under suspicion of being a loyalist in 1780, forcing hm to resign those positions. George Hooper spent the remainder of the Revolution in Charleston, South Carolina before being allowed to return to the state. He died in Wilmington on June 19, 1821.