Vietnam veteran and former Green Beret Henry Hooper II, 68, is a retired Secret Service agent who now has a career in insurance sales. Hooper has owned his State Farm Insurance and Finance agency for the past 22 years. He spends Saturdays tutoring at Guthrie Elementary School and other days spoiling his four grandchildren. Now, he’s stepped up to fill Rickey Peete’s position in the Memphis City Council.
— Cherie Heiberg
Flyer: Why did you decide to try for the seat on the City Council?
Hooper: I thought I needed to step forth and maybe add — I don’t want to say — integrity to the council, because it’s certainly there. It’s just that we’ve had some ups and downs with a few people. It’s time to make a change, start getting people [with] the ability to work and do [their] job responsibly and make decisions based on the information received and what’s in the best interest of [their] constituency and the city of Memphis.
Can you tell us anything about your time with the Secret Service?
I was in the Memphis office and primarily involved in the investigation of U.S. securities, government checks, counterfeit money, transfers of funds through the Internet, and so on. I worked for what I felt was the greatest investigative agency in the world.
why did you start an insurance business?
I was interested in the business. There comes a time in everyone’s life when you want to make a change. I had a family to think about. Coming from a single-parent household, I understood the impact of having a dad around.
What do you plan to do as councilman?
I just want to do the right thing. That’s who I am, that’s what I do. If you have the abilities, you should step forward and do what’s necessary to try and make a difference.
