An early photo of Fred Hackett, in the 1980’s, second from left. Fred was instrumental in the foundation of the captive industry in Vermont.  (From left to right: VCIA Members and captive industry participants Julie Boucher, Fred, Mark Boll, Kathy Davis and Dan Labrie.) 

Former Vermont captive insurance founder and director of VCIA, Luther “Fred” Hackett, died of Alzheimer’s disease on October 8, 2018 at the Wake Robin Continuing Care Retirement Community in South Burlington, Vermont.

After graduating from the University of Vermont in 1955, he served in the Air Force before returning to Vermont to join his father in a new insurance business. He was Chairman of Hackett, Valine and MacDonald Inc., Champlain Captive Management, Inc. and Benefit Investment Advisors, Inc. He was an advisor to the Vermont Captive Insurance Association Board in the early era of the captive industry in Vermont.

In 1965 Fred was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives from South Burlington. He served on the Appropriations Committee, and as Chairman from 1969-1970 and served as republican majority leader from 1967-1968. He was Chairman of the Joint Fiscal Committee of the Vermont House and Senate in 1969. In 1972 he won the Republican Primary for Governor. He lost the Governor’s race to Thomas Salmon in the general election.

Fred was an environmentalist. He proudly assisted with the legislation in 1969 for preservation of certain land abutting the Camel’s Hump State Park, creating a state-owned Forest Reserve that formed Camel’s Hump State Park. He was instrumental in the creation of ACT 250 and heavily involved with the Clean & Clear Task Force for Lake Champlain.

Fred was a sixth generation Vermonter and spent most of his life building a business and aiding ventures he felt would make a positive difference to the future of his beloved State of Vermont. Over the many years Fred received numerous awards and recognition for all he did for our state, but I remember him as a man willing to give excellent advice to an upstart in Vermont (that would be me) with no trace of condescension, and being treated as an equal. I believe that graciousness and community spirit has been successfully imprinted on Vermont’s captive insurance community.

If VCIA had a flag, it would be lowered to half mast today. Thank you for all you did, Fred.

Rich Smith,
VCIA President