Harold Humphrey Hackett (July 12, 1878 – November 20, 1937) was an American

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cov ...

player.

Biography

Born in

Hingham, Massachusetts Hingham ( ) is a town in metropolitan Greater Boston on the South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts in northern Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, t ...

, but a long-time resident of New York, Hackett turned in his best results in doubles with

Fred Alexander Frederick Beasley Alexander (August 14, 1880 – March 3, 1969) was an American tennis player in the early 20th century. He won the singles title at the 1908 Australasian Championships and six double titles at Grand Slam events. Career In 1908, ...

. Beginning in 1905, they were finalists at the U.S. National Championships a record seven consecutive years, winning in 1907, 1908, 1909, and 1910. A graduate of

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

, Hackett and

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

graduate Alexander won the U.S. Indoor doubles three times (1906–08), and he teamed with Walter Hall to win the U.S. Clay Court doubles title in 1912. The following year, 1913, he was player-captain of the U.S.

Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organi ...

team that beat the United Kingdom in the final to win the Cup. Hackett was ranked in the U.S. Top 10 twice: No. 9 in 1902 and at No. 7 in 1906 (when he was a U.S. quarter-finalist). He was inducted into the

International Tennis Hall of Fame The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It honors both players and other contributors to the sport of tennis. The complex, the former Newport Casino, includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indo ...

in 1961. Hackett was a member of the Tennis Players' Committee who in 1915 advocated moving the National Tennis Championships from Newport, MA to Forrest Hills, NY. In 1911, Hackett's wife divorced him for alleged acts of cruelty and that he publicly accused her of having a dozen affairs. On one occasion she said her and their two children were ill with ptomaine poisoning and Hackett was summoned immediately. Hackett arrived the following morning and only wanted to discuss their expense accounts, then quickly departed two hours later -- not to be heard from again for several months.

Grand Slam finals

Doubles (4 titles, 3 runner-ups)

References

External links

* * * * 1878 births 1937 deaths American male tennis players People from Hingham, Massachusetts Sportspeople from Plymouth County, Massachusetts International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees Tennis people from Massachusetts Tennis people from New York (state) United States National champions (tennis) Yale Bulldogs men's tennis players Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's doubles {{US-tennis-bio-stub