Biography
Born in Pisgah, Ayrshire. He married in 1755 and had at least one daughter, Burella (b. 1758), who married (1779) Arthur Campbell of Auchmannoch. Professor of Greek in the University of Edinburgh from 1741 until his death, although he seems to have stopped teaching in December 1772, being succeeded by Andrew Dalzel.
Life with Boswell
Boswell was in Robert Hunter's Greek class in 1755, which was where he met William Temple and possibly also John Johnston. Although a great scholar, Hunter apparently wasn't much of a teacher. In letters to Temple, Boswell refers to Hunter's extreme Scottish accent.