Harold Humphrey Hackett (July 12, 1878 – November 20, 1937) was an American
tennis
Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
player.
Biography
Born in
Hingham, Massachusetts
Hingham ( ) is a town in northern Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Part of the Greater Boston region, it is located on the South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore of Massachusetts. At the 2020 ...
, but a long-time resident of New York, Hackett turned in his best results in doubles with
Fred Alexander. 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 university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
, Hackett and
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
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 organised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and contested annually between teams from over 150 competing countries, making it the world's largest annual ...
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, 13 grass tennis courts, an ...
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
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1878 births
1937 deaths
American male tennis players
Sportspeople from Hingham, Massachusetts
International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees
Tennis players from Massachusetts
Tennis players from New York (state)
United States National champions (tennis)
Yale Bulldogs men's tennis players
Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's doubles
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