Hood was born near Goldsboro, Wayne County, North Carolina.

He studied law and was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of North Carolina in 1896 and commenced practice in Goldsboro.

From 1899 to 1909, he was a captain and subsequently promoted to colonel in the Second Regiment of the North Carolina National Guard.

Hood died in Goldsboro and is interred in Willow Dale Cemetery.

This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress