Tom Hayden

Tom Hayden

Tom Hayden was born December 11th 1939 he was an American social and political activist and politician, most famous for his involvement in the anti-war and civil rights movements of the 1960s

Hayden was born in Detroit to parents who were Irish and later attended the University of Michigan, there he was editor of a newspaper and one of the founders of the student activist group SDS.

The Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was a radical student activist movement in the United states founded in 1959. As part of the New Left movement in the United States, the organization developed rapidly in the mid-1960's, before dissolving in 1969.

The democratic national convention, in late August, 1968, was the scene of massive demonstrations protesting the Vietnam war, which was in full swing. Thousands of people showed up with signs and banners, tie-dyed shirts, music, dancing, and poetry. A pig, "Pigasus the Immortal," was brought into the city to be "nominated" for President. At first it was a carnival atmosphere. The police were edgy. Some people responded to a night-time curfew announcement with rock-throwing. Police used tear gas, and struck people with batons. People were arrested. In the aftermath, a grand jury indicted eight demonstrators and eight police officers.

He made several high profile trips as a peace activist to Cambodia and North Vietnam during America's involvement in the Vietnam War, including an especially controversial one in 1972 to North Vietnam with his future wife, actress Jane Fonda.

In 1976, Hayden made an ill-advised primary election challenge against sitting California U.S. Senator John V. Tunney. While Hayden had little hope of defeating Tunney in the Democratic primary, his campaign damaged Tunney such that Tunney was defeated in the November general election by Republican S. I. Hayakawa.

Hayden later served in the California State Assembly and the State Senate. He unsuccessfully ran for Mayor of Los Angeles in 1997, defeated by the incumbent Richard Riordan. He currently lives in Los Angeles, California and is married to actress Barbara Williams. During the Fall semester of 2005 he is teaching a course on Social Movements at Pitzer College.