His statue stands about 15 ft (4.6 m) high and was unveiled in June 1903 to an artillery salute, during a ceremony attended by military and civilian officials.

The newspaper quoted Peter Drummey of the Massachusetts Historical Society as stating that "Hooker didn't have a very good reputation as a soldier or as a person."

Drummey speculated that rather than honoring the person himself, the presence of the Joseph Hooker statue at the State House is a testament to the political power of veterans' groups.

The large sign reading "General Hooker Entrance" is often the source of double entendres, particularly from groups of schoolchildren on field trips.

"[7] State Representative Michelle DuBois, a Democrat from Brockton, called for the name of the entrance to be changed in 2018, saying it is "tone deaf" and shows "disregard for the majority of women's feelings and dignity for the raising up and false-protection of a statue of a long-dead general".