William D. Hackett (1918–1999) was an American

mountaineer Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, an ...

Biography

Hackett grew up in Portland (Oregon), began climbing at age 14. In the Army in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he served more than three years in the 10th Mountain Division. After World War II, he remained in regular Army for 21 years. American Alpine Journal:
In Memoriam - William D. Hackett, 1918-1999
AAJ 2000, Volume 42, Issue 74, Page 435. In 1956 Hackett was the first person to reach five of the

Seven Summits The Seven Summits are the highest mountains of each of the seven traditional continents. Climbing to the summit of all of them is regarded as a mountaineering challenge, first achieved on 30 April 1985 by Richard Bass. Climbing the Seven Summits a ...

. He climbed

Mount McKinley Denali (; also known as Mount McKinley, its former official name) is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of above sea level. With a topographic prominence of and a topographic isolation of , Denali is the thir ...

(1947), Aconcagua (1949),

Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It has three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world: above sea level and ab ...

(1950),

Mount Kosciuszko Mount Kosciuszko ( ; Ngarigo: , ), previously spelled Mount Kosciusko, is mainland Australia's tallest mountain, at 2,228 metres (7,310 ft) above sea level. It is located on the Main Range of the Snowy Mountains in Kosciuszko National ...

(1956) and

Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (french: Mont Blanc ; it, Monte Bianco , both meaning "white mountain") is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe, rising above sea level. It is the second-most prominent mountain in Europe, after Mount Elbrus, and i ...

(1956). In that time, the Mont Blanc was considered to be the highest mountain of the European continent. Hackett made an attempt to climb

Mount Vinson Vinson Massif () is a large mountain massif in Antarctica that is long and wide and lies within the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains. It overlooks the Ronne Ice Shelf near the base of the Antarctic Peninsula. The massif is located a ...

and obtained a permit for the

Mount Everest Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow heig ...

in 1960 but due to several circumstances (frostbite, lack of funds, etc.) he never made it more than five.abc-of-mountaineering.co
''"History of the Quest for the Seven Summits (2004)"''
Retrieved 2 January 2015. Hackett was the first person to reach the summits of both Mount McKinley and Mount Logan. He was the first American to climb Aconcagua and the first American to climb Mount Kenya. While still serving with the Army's Ground Forces, Lt. Hackett’s Mount McKinley climb in 1947 was part of Operation White Tower 1947. Operation White Tower was sponsored by RKO Radio Pictures and served two purposes: to get snow pictures while testing high altitude photography and to conduct scientific testing of cosmic ray effects in addition to performing geological surveys of the area.Dartmouth Digital Collections Dartmouth College Librar

Retrieved 21 August 2017. In 1952, Capt. Hackett agreed to carry several nuclear plates to the Denali Pass to help Brad Washburn, who was on the 1947 Mount McKinley climb, conduct research on the effects of cosmic rays. The plates had a special coating that would record the effects as the rays hit the Earth. Denali National Park & Preserve

from Series: Alaska Park Science – Volume 10 Issue 2: Connections to Natural and Cultural Resource Studies in Alaska’s National Parks. Retrieved 21 August 2017. After an Air Force plane crashed east of Anchorage, Alaska, on November 22, 1952, killing all 52 people aboard, Hackett was part of a recovery team that climbed to search for survivors. Because of blizzard conditions and potential for an avalanche, it was December 9 before the team located the tail section. No survivors or additional wreckage were found in the vicinity. Alaska Dispatch New
''"Aircraft debris found on glacier 12 miles from 1952 crash site (06/27/2012)"''
Retrieved 21 August 2017. In 1989, Maj. William D. Hackett, U.S. Army (retired) was inducted as an honorary member of the Mazamas, a non-profit for mountaineering education.

Notable ascents and expeditions

, South Summit (06.06.1947) and North Summit (06.07.1947) with Bradford Washburn * Aconcagua, 1949 Hackett first US climber on the highest mountain of South America * Mount McKinley, 07.10.1951 FA West Buttress route with Bradford Washburn and team * K2, American-German Expedition 1960 *

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

, Canadian-American expedition to Antarctica (Mount Vinson)

References

External links

* American Alpine Journal (2000):
In Memoriam - William D. Hackett, 1918-1999

Major William D. Hackett collection at the University of Alaska Museum of the North, Fairbanks, Alaska
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hackett, William American mountain climbers 1918 births 1999 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army officers