Ben W. Hooper

Ben Walter Hooper, born Bennie Walter Wade (October 13, 1870 – April 18, 1957), was an American politician who served two terms as Governor of Tennessee from 1911 to 1915. Elected as a Fusionist candidate, he was one of just three Republicans to hold the office from the end of Reconstruction to the latter half of the 20th century. His success was due to divisions in the state Democratic Party over prohibition; he received support from some of the party. During his two terms, Hooper signed several prohibition laws, enacted a measure requiring mandatory school attendance, and signed a law requiring direct pay for women workers.

Hooper served as a member of the U.S. Railroad Labor Board (RLB) during the administration of President Warren G. Harding in the early 1920s. As chairman of the RLB, he was a central figure in the 1922 Railroad Shopmen's Strike. He later worked as chief land purchasing agent for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Early life

Hooper was born out of wedlock to Sarah Wade in Newport in Cocke County in eastern Tennessee. His father, Lemuel Washington Hooper, was a physician who was engaged to another woman at the time. Ben and his mother moved to Mossy Creek (modern Jefferson City), then New Market, and finally the slums of Knoxville. His mother was unable to care for her son and placed him in St. John's Orphanage, operated by the Episcopal Church. When Ben was nine, he was traced and legally adopted by his father, who gave him the surname of Hooper and reared him in Newport as a Baptist.