| Perry Hooper | |
| State House: | Alabama |
| District: | 73rd |
| Term Start: | January 3, 1984 |
| Term End: | January 3, 2003 |
| Predecessor: | Ham Wilson |
| Successor: | David Grimes |
| Birth Name: | Perry Oliver Hooper Jr. |
| Birth Date: | 5 October 1954 |
| Birth Place: | Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. |
| Party: | Republican |
| Spouse: | Judy McKissick |
| Children: | 3 |
| Relatives: | Perry Hooper Sr. (father) |
| Education: | Auburn University, Montgomery (BA) Faulkner University (JD) |
Perry Oliver Hooper Jr. (born October 5, 1954), is an American politician. A Republican, Hooper served in the Alabama House of Representatives for District 73 from 1984 until 2003.
Hooper is the son of Perry Hooper Sr.[1] He graduated from Auburn University.
In 1982, Hooper ran for the Alabama House of Representatives for the 81st district. He lost in the general election to the Democratic Party nominee, Ham Wilson Jr.[2] Running for the 73rd district in a special election in 1983, Hooper defeated Wilson.[3] Hooper served until 2003, after he lost renomination in 2002 to David Grimes.[4]
In 1987, the Junior Chamber International awarded Hooper "Outstanding Young Man of Alabama". American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a group of conservative lawmakers and businesses, presented him with the Thomas Jefferson Free Enterprise Award. He was a member of the Montgomery County Republican Committee.
Hooper was the co-chair of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign in Alabama.[5] After Jeff Sessions resigned from the United States Senate to become attorney general of the United States, Hooper sought the appointment to succeed Sessions in the Senate. Hooper was one of six finalists considered by Governor Robert Bentley.[6] When Luther Strange was appointed to the Senate, Hooper endorsed him and declined to run against him in the 2017 special election to fill the remainder of the term.[7]
Hooper and his wife, Judy, have three children, two who were running backs for the Auburn Tigers football team, and another, a placekicker for the South Carolina Gamecocks football team.[8]
Hooper was youth athletics coach and the by the YMCA of Montgomery awarded him "Man of the Year". He is affiliated with Kiwanis International and the Southern Development Council.
Hooper was arrested on August 23, 2022, on charges of first-degree sex abuse for an incident that occurred on August 16. Hooper was accused of groping and kissing a woman at a local restaurant while she was working.[9] Perry was indicted in November 2022,[10] but the charge against him was dismissed in December.[11] In 2023, Hooper attempted to file a lawsuit against the city of Montgomery and its police department, alleging he had been "set up" as part of a political ploy, but he dropped the suit in October 2023.[12]