[1] Hunter was born in 1863 in Moreton Bay, off the coast of Queensland[2] as his family was migrating from Scotland to Australia.

He was the son of Daniel McEwan Hunter and his wife Jane and was educated at Redbank, Spring Creek and Clifton State Schools.

[1] He was for some years manager of a branch business for McLeish and Company in Roma before joining with other members of his family to open a general store in the Maranoa Region.

[2] On 2 June 1890 Hunter married Ellen Guthrie Moffat (died 1947) in Toowoomba and together had one daughter.

At the 1907 Queensland state election he won the seat of Maranoa, defeating the sitting Ministerial member, Thomas Spencer.