Background
He was the son of actor James Henry Hackett (1800–1871).
lawyer Recorder of New York City
He was the son of actor James Henry Hackett (1800–1871).
He attended Borland & Forrester Private Academy and Columbia College, and graduated from New York University in 1837. Then he studied law with Joshua North. Spencer in Utica, and from 1840 on with William M. Evarts and Jonathan Prescott Hall in New York City.
He was admitted to the bar in 1842, and practiced in New York City. Hackett was elected Corporation Counsel of San Francisco, and served one term. In 1857, he returned to New York City, and soon afterwards entered city politics being elected Secretary of Mozart Hall, the Anti-Tammany Hall Democratic organization.
He was appointed by John East. Develin as Assistant Corporation Counsel of New York City.
As such, in 1862, Hackett contested John Kelly"s claim for $20,000 sheriff"s fees, thus gaining Kelly"s enmity. Hackett was still in office when Recorder John T. Hoffman took office as Mayor of New York City on January 1, 1866.
To fill the vacancy proved difficult, the Board of Supervisors of New York County having six Republicans and six Democrats. On March 6, 1866, after more than two months of deadlock, Hackett was elected Recorder of New York City, and was elected to succeed himself for a full three-year term, running on the Tammany ticket in November 1866.
In November 1869, he was re-elected on the Tammany ticket, the term having been extended to six years in the meanwhile.
After succeeding William M. Tweed as boss of Tammany Hill, Kelly launched a personal attack on Hackett, and on October 12, 1875, had Frederick Smyth nominated for Recorder. The next day, Hackett was nominated on the Republican ticket, and then endorsed by the Anti-Tammany Democrats. Defeating Smyth, he was elected to a fourteen-year term, the term having been extended again, to match the duration of the term of the other judges and justices of the various courts in New New York
In 1878, Hackett began to suffer from a prolonged illness, and spent a two-month-long summer vacation in Europe.
Although at first slightly improving, his health deteriorated again, so that Hackett sat for the last time as judge on the bench of the Court of General Sessions on October 1, 1878. In August 1879, he caught a severe cold while on a hunting and fishing trip around Islip, Long Island, which evolved into bronchitis, pericarditis and dropsy.
Five months later, he died at his residence, 72 Park Avenue (Manhattan), without having recovered his health. He was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx).
The actor James Keteltas Hackett (1869–1926) was his half-brother.