The alt.usage.english FAQ   

• "hooker"

  (Word Origins)
  
  Contrary to what you may have read in Xaviera Hollander's book _The Happy Hooker_, the "prostitute" sense of "hooker" does NOT derive from Joseph "Fighting Joe" Hooker (1814-1879), a major general on the Union side of the U.S. civil war, whose men were alleged to frequent brothels [1]. "Hooker" in this sense goes back to 1845 (see AHD3); the U.S. Civil War did not begin until 1861. It may come from the earlier sense of "thief" (which goes back to 1567, "to hook" meaning to steal), or it may refer to prostitutes' linking arms with their clients. A geographical Hook (Corlear's Hook in New York City, or the Hook of Holland) is also possible.
  
  [1] The man who stalked Nicole Kidman and Claudia Schiffer, Matt Hooker, claimed on his Website to be a descendant of "Fighting Joe" and also believed the false "hooker" story.
  
  Source: [Mark Israel, 'Word Origins: "hooker"', The alt.usage.english FAQ file,(line 3653), (29 Sept 1997)]
  
  
  
  

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