By the time Hooper reached the Continental Congress his mind was made up. He held out hope that the breakup would not lead to war, still he wanted out of British rule. Hooper's father was loyal to the King of England and unhappy with his son's beliefs. In 1776, his law business was suffering and he had to spend much of his time out of Philadelphia. By the time he returned the vote for independence had already happened. Even though Hooper missed the vote,<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=p2GwDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA32 A Synopsis of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence]</ref> he was lucky enough to sign the document on August 2nd. In December of 1776 he was elected to his third term in Congress but by February 1777 he would resign in order to devote more time to his business. | By the time Hooper reached the Continental Congress his mind was made up. He held out hope that the breakup would not lead to war, still he wanted out of British rule. Hooper's father was loyal to the King of England and unhappy with his son's beliefs. In 1776, his law business was suffering and he had to spend much of his time out of Philadelphia. By the time he returned the vote for independence had already happened. Even though Hooper missed the vote,<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=p2GwDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA32 A Synopsis of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence]</ref> he was lucky enough to sign the document on August 2nd. In December of 1776 he was elected to his third term in Congress but by February 1777 he would resign in order to devote more time to his business. |