When his uncle Ben and aunt Anne died, Hunter inherited his aunt Anne and uncle Ben's estate in the Bluff View district, which is now used as the location for The Hunter Museum of American Art.
In 1941, he became chairman of the board and decided to hire DeSales Harrison from the Atlanta company to take over as president.
The foundation focuses on grants for public education, arts and culture, the environment, and neighborhood and community development.
This foundation benefaction set a precedent in Tennessee law when Chancellor Alvin Ziegler ruled that taxes, after one's death, would be borne by the residuary estate.
The museum was also a starting point for the entire Bluff View Art district to flourish and become the popular spot in Chattanooga that it is today.