Richard Hooker (author)

Richard Hooker
Richard Hooker at the original Swamp in Korea
Born	Hiester Richard Hornberger Jr. (1924-02-01)February 1, 1924 Trenton, New Jersey, United States
Died	November 4, 1997(1997-11-04) (aged 73) Waterville, Maine
Cause of death	Leukemia
Resting place	Hillside Cemetery Bremen, Maine
Nationality	American
Other names	Richard Hooker
Education	Peddie School
Alma mater	Bowdoin College Cornell Medical School
Occupation	Author Surgeon
Known for	M*A*S*H
Spouse(s)	Priscilla Storer
Children	5
Military career
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Unit	8055th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital
Battles/wars	Korean War

Hiester Richard Hornberger Jr. (February 1, 1924 – November 4, 1997) was an American writer and surgeon who wrote under the pseudonym Richard Hooker. His most famous work was his novel MASH (1968), based on his experiences during the Korean War and written in collaboration with W. C. Heinz. It was later used as the basis for a critically and commercially successful movie (1970) and television series (1972–1983).

Born in Trenton, New Jersey, Hornberger attended the Peddie School in Hightstown. He graduated from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where he was an active member of the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity. He went to Cornell Medical School and after graduation, became a physician for the United States Army during the Korean War.

After the war, Hornberger worked for the Veterans Administration, qualified for his surgical boards, and went into private practice. He settled back in Broad Cove in Bremen, Maine.

His experiences at the 8055th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital were the background for his novel MASH (1968), which he worked on for eleven years. MASH was rejected by many publishers. He worked with the famed sportswriter, W.C. Heinz, to revise it. A year later, the book was acquired by William Morrow and Company. Published under Hornberger's pseudonym, Richard Hooker, the novel was highly successful.