William Hooper Harris was born in New York City, December 14, 1866. All his early years, however, were spent in Nashville, Tenn. After finishing High School, financial difficulties at home precluded his intended study of law at college. He therefore worked by day, studied law at night and was admitted to the bar in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1893. In 1887, he married Sarah Gertrude Rawls of Birmingham and in 1894, they came to New York City to live, where he became an expert court reporter, doing work of unusually high quality till the very day of his death.
In New York City, in 1899, his wife, ever persistent in her desire and search for Truth, was told, by Mrs. Archie Fisk, of the Baha'i Faith and Mrs. Harris soon realized it to be the object of her search.
Hooper Harris accompanied her to hear the Baha'i Message and ere long he, too, realized the Light and Bounty of the Revelation of Baha'u'llah. Thereupon he became a faithful and devoted student of the Baha'i Revelation and of all the previous Revelations of Truth to mankind, especially those parts of the various Books which prophesied this Great Day of Light.
His continuous study and untiring efforts to know the Truth spiritually as well as mentally proved to be a timely preparation which enabled him to answer the call of 'Abdu'l-Baha in 1906 for an American to go to India to teach the Cause. On November 10, 1906, Mr. Harris, accompanied by Harlan Ober of Beverly, Mass., left New York City for 'Akka to receive the blessing and instructions from 'Abdu'l-Baha. In answer to Mr. Harris' request for specific instructions as to how to teach in India, 'Abdu'l-Baha's only reply was, "Face the people with a smile on your face and the love of God in your heart and rely wholly upon the Holy Spirit."
