Judge James Hooker was a prominent Hunt County pioneer, born in 1807 and died in 1865. He came to Texas in 1840 and received a 640-acre headright from the Republic of Texas. He served as a commissioner to organize the county and locate the county seat, became the first postmaster of the Hooker's Mill settlement, and owned the area's first steam mill. The town was an important stop on the Clarksville to Austin Road. He represented the county in the Fourth and Sixth Legislatures, was a member of the Secession Convention, and was buried here on his headright.