Thomas Emmet "Tom" Hayden (born December 11, 1939) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
social and political activist and politician, known for his involvement in the
animal rightsAnimal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
, and the
anti-warAn anti-war movement is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conflicts. Many...
and
civil rightsCivil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
movements of the 1960s. He is the former husband of actress
Jane FondaJane Fonda is an American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. She rose to fame in the 1960s with films such as Barbarella and Cat Ballou. She has won two Academy Awards and received several other movie awards and nominations during more than 50 years as an...
and the father of actor
Troy GarityTroy Garity is an American film actor. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film for his role as Barry Winchell in the 2003 television movie Soldier's Girl, but may be best known for his role as Isaac Rosenberg in the Barbershop films.-Early life and...
.
Life and career
Hayden was born in
Detroit, MichiganDetroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, to parents of
IrishThe Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
descent. He graduated from
Dondero High SchoolGeorge A. Dondero High School was opened in 1927 in Royal Oak, Michigan. It was named after former United States congressman and Royal Oak School Board President George A. Dondero.- Overview :...
in
Royal Oak, MichiganRoyal Oak is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 57,236. It should not be confused with Royal Oak Charter Township, a separate community located nearby....
, class of 1956. He later attended the
University of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, where he was editor of the
Michigan DailyThe Michigan Daily is the daily student newspaper of the University of Michigan. Its first edition was published on September 29, 1890. The newspaper is financially and editorially independent of the University's administration and other student groups, but shares a university building with other...
and, disenchanted by the anti-radicalism of existing groups like the
National Student AssociationThe United States National Student Association, a confederation of American college and university student governments, was founded in 1947 at a conference at the University of Wisconsin. It established its first headquarters in Madison, not far from the U. of Wisconsin campus...
(later revealed to be a
CIA frontAt various times, under its own authority or in accordance with directives from the President of the United States or the National Security Council staff, the Central Intelligence Agency has attempted to influence domestic and international public opinion, and sometimes law enforcement...
), became one of the founders of the student activist group
Students for a Democratic SocietyStudents for a Democratic Society was a student activist movement in the United States that was one of the main iconic representations of the country's New Left. The organization developed and expanded rapidly in the mid-1960s before dissolving at its last convention in 1969...
(SDS).
In 1961, he married Casey Cason, a Texas-born civil rights activist who worked for the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. He served as president of SDS from 1962 to 1963 and drafted its most famous work, the
Port Huron StatementThe Port Huron Statement is the manifesto of the American student activist movement Students for a Democratic Society , written primarily by Tom Hayden, then the Field Secretary of SDS, and completed on June 15, 1962 at an SDS convention at what is now a state park in Lakeport, Michigan, a...
. From 1964 to 1968, he lived in
Newark, New JerseyNewark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, where he worked with impoverished inner-city residents as part of the Newark Community Union Project. He was also witness to
the city's race riotsThe 1967 Newark riots were a major civil disturbance that occurred in the city of Newark, New Jersey between July 12 and July 17, 1967. The six days of rioting, looting, and destruction left 26 dead and hundreds injured.-Social unrest:...
and wrote the book
Rebellion in Newark: Official Violence and Ghetto Response (1967). Hayden also played a key role in the protests surrounding the
1968 Democratic National ConventionThe 1968 Democratic National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party was held at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois, from August 26 to August 29, 1968. Because Democratic President Lyndon Johnson had announced he would not seek a second term, the purpose of the convention was to...
in Chicago, Illinois. Six months after the convention he and other protesters including
Abbie HoffmanAbbot Howard "Abbie" Hoffman was a political and social activist who co-founded the Youth International Party ....
and
Jerry RubinJerry Rubin was an American social activist during the 1960s and 1970s. During the 1980s, he became a successful businessman.-Early life:...
were indicted on federal charges of conspiracy and incitement to riot as part of the "Chicago Eight". He made several high-profile trips as a peace activist to
CambodiaCambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
and
North VietnamThe Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
during America's involvement in the
Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, including an especially controversial one in 1972 to North Vietnam with his future wife, actress
Jane FondaJane Fonda is an American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. She rose to fame in the 1960s with films such as Barbarella and Cat Ballou. She has won two Academy Awards and received several other movie awards and nominations during more than 50 years as an...
. The following year he married Fonda and they had one child,
Troy GarityTroy Garity is an American film actor. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film for his role as Barry Winchell in the 2003 television movie Soldier's Girl, but may be best known for his role as Isaac Rosenberg in the Barbershop films.-Early life and...
, born on 7 July 1973.
In 1976, Hayden made a primary-election challenge to sitting
CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
U.S. Senator
John V. TunneyJohn Varick Tunney , is a former Democratic Party United States Senator and Representative.-Biography:He is the son of the famous heavyweight boxing champion Gene Tunney and Connecticut socialite Polly Lauder Tunney....
. Starting far behind, Hayden mounted a spirited campaign and finished a surprisingly close second in the Democratic primary field. He and Fonda went on to found the Campaign for Economic Democracy (CED), which formed a close alliance with then-Governor
Jerry BrownEdmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. is an American politician. Brown served as the 34th Governor of California , and is currently serving as the 39th California Governor...
and promoted solar energy, environmental protection, and renters' rights policies as well as candidates for local office throughout California, some 100 of whom would be elected.
Hayden later served in the
California State AssemblyThe California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature. There are 80 members in the Assembly, representing an approximately equal number of constituents, with each district having a population of at least 420,000...
(1982–1992) and the
State SenateThe California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
(1992–2000). During this time, he was frequently protested by conservative groups, including Vietnamese refugees, veterans of the US military, and Young Americans for Freedom. He mounted a bid in the Democratic primary for California Governor in 1994 on the theme of campaign finance reform, and ran for
Mayor of Los AngelesThe mayor of Los Angeles is the chief executive officer of the city. He is elected for a four-year term and limited to serving no more than two terms. Under the California Constitution, all judicial, school, county, and city offices, including those of chartered cities, are nonpartisan...
in 1997, losing to incumbent
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Richard RiordanRichard J. Riordan is a Republican politician from California, U.S.A. who served as the California Secretary for Education from 2003–2005 and as the 39th Mayor of Los Angeles, California from 1993–2001...
.
In 1999, Hayden made a speech during the
1999 Seattle WTO protestsProtest activity surrounding the WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999, which was to be the launch of a new millennial round of trade negotiations, occurred on November 30, 1999 , when the World Trade Organization convened at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, Washington,...
. In 2001, he unsuccessfully sought election to the Los Angeles City Council. He lives in
Los AngelesLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and is married to actress Barbara Williams. They have a son, Liam, born in 2000.
Hayden serves as a member of the advisory board for the
Progressive Democrats of AmericaThe Progressive Democrats of America is a progressive political organization and grassroots political action committee operating inside the United States Democratic Party.-History:...
, a organization created to expand
progressiveProgressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
political cooperation within the Democratic Party.
In January 2008, Hayden wrote an op-ed piece for
The Huffington PostThe Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
supporting
Barack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's presidential bid in the Democratic primaries.
Hayden has taught numerous courses on social movements, particularly his Machiavellian analysis. He taught a course called "From the '60s to the Obama Generation" at
Pitzer CollegePitzer College is a private residential liberal arts college located in Claremont, California, a college town approximately east of downtown Los Angeles. Pitzer College is one of the Claremont Colleges....
in Claremont, CA, two courses at
Scripps CollegeScripps College is a progressive liberal arts women's college in Claremont, California, United States. It is a member of the Claremont Colleges. Scripps ranks 3rd for the nation's best women's college, ahead of Barnard College, Mount Holyoke College, and Bryn Mawr College at 23rd on the list for...
, a sister school to Pitzer: one on the Long War and one on gangs in America, and has periodically taught as an assistant and adjunct professor at
Occidental CollegeOccidental College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887, Occidental College, or "Oxy" as it is called by students and alumni, is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges on the West Coast...
.
In 2011, Hayden made news when his speech at his and Jane Fonda's sons wedding a few years ago was reported in the May 9th issue of
the New YorkerThe New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
. Hayden is described as honoring his son's marriage to a black woman by remarking that it was "another step in a long-term goal of mine: the peaceful, nonviolent disappearance of the white race." A variety of conservative bloggers and commentators such as National Review's
John DerbyshireJohn Derbyshire is a British-American writer. His columns in National Review and cover a broad range of political-cultural topics, including immigration, China, history, mathematics, and race. Derbyshire's 1996 novel, Seeing Calvin Coolidge in a Dream, was a New York Times "Notable Book of the...
have either denounced Hayden's words or pointed to his wedding speech as a example of masochistic strains within western liberalism today.
Hayden is widely known in California as a staunch supporter of
animal rightsAnimal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
and was responsible for writing the bill popularly known as the
Hayden ActThe Hayden Act, also known as California State Assembly , introduced by California Senator Tom Hayden on February 18, 1998, amended California Law as it applies to companion animals....
, which improved protection of pets and extended holding periods for pets picked up as strays or surrendered to shelters.
External links
- TomHayden.com
- HaydenAct.com
- Tom Hayden's blog at The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
- Tom Hayden Talking about politics after 9/11 at Cal Poly Pomona (streaming video)
- Tom Hayden gives a talk on environmental activism, hosted by Progressive Christians Uniting (Pasadena, CA) February 19, 2007 (streaming video)
- Video of Tom Hayden interview on The Colbert Report, 2007-6-25
- Tom Hayden, "The Future of 1968's 'Restless Youth'," in: Martin Klimke and Joachim Scharloth, 1968 in Europe - A History of Protest and Activism (New York/London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008), 325-331, full text online
- Musings from the Left Tom Hayden discusses his books, life and times on 6-25-2008 from Sacramento, CA
- Voices of the Chicago Eight book description, reviews, and purchasing information
- Writings for a Democratic Society book description, reviews, and purchasing information
- KCET Departures Venice Tom Hayden - Author and Activist