Collection consists of letters concerning Hackett's law business in San Francisco while he was a member of the firm of Hackett and Judah; his New York law practice; dramatic engagements of his father, James Henry Hackett (1800-1871), an actor, in New York and San Francisco in the fall of 1858; the operation of the South Side Sportsman's Club; correspondence with New York State governors concerning applications for pardons; and personal matters.