William Hurr had rich career as a tribal leader, an interpreter, and a missionary.

Born in the tribal homeland along the Maumee River in Ohio, Hurr survived removal from Ohio to Kansas as a small child. Hurr lost both his parents within a few years of removal. Hurr's brother sent him to receive an education at the Shawnee Mission School, and Hurr was baptized at the Ottawa Indian Mission in Kansas by missionary Jotham Meeker in 1845.

Entering adulthood, Hurr quickly took on leadership roles in the Ottawa Tribe. In the 1860s, he served as a tribal councilman. He signed the Treaty of 1862 and was appointed one of the original trustees of Ottawa University. He also acted as interpreter for the negotiations for the Treaty of 1867.

Following removal from Kansas to Indian Territory, Hurr became an ordained Baptist minister. He preached at the Ottawa Indian Baptist Church adjacent to the Ottawa Indian Cemetery and later became a missionary at the Sac & Fox Agency.