Tom Hayden

Thomas Emmet Hayden (born December 11, 1939) 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. He is the former husband of actress Jane Fonda and the father of actor Troy Garity.

Hayden was born in Detroit, Michigan, to parents of Irish descent and later attended the University of Michigan, where he was editor of the Michigan Daily and one of the founders of the student activist group Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

In 1961, he married Casey Hayden, 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 Statement. From 1964 to 1968, he lived in Newark, New Jersey, 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 riots 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 Convention in Chicago, Illinois. There, he was arrested as part of the "Chicago Seven," with other protesters including Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin, and charged with conspiracy and inciting riots. 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 a maverick primary election challenge against sitting California U.S. Senator John V. Tunney. Starting far behind, Hayden mounted a spirited challenge 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 Brown and successfully promoted solar energy, environmental protection, and renters' rights policies while promoting candidates for local office throughout California, some 100 of whom would be elected.

Hayden later served in the California State Assembly (1982-1992) and the State Senate (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 another maverick bid in the Democratic primary for California Governor in 1994 on the theme of campaign finance reform. He ran for Mayor of Los Angeles in 1997 but lost to incumbent Republican Richard Riordan.

In 1999, Hayden made a speech during the 1999 Seattle WTO protests. In 2001, he unsuccessfully sought election to the Los Angeles City Council. He currently lives in Los Angeles and is married to actress Barbara Williams. During the past three years, Hayden has periodically taught as an assistant and adjunct professor at Occidental College. During the fall semesters of 2005 and 2006, he taught a course on social movements at Pitzer College.

Hayden serves as a member of the advisory board for the Progressive Democrats of America, an influential "grass roots" organization created to expand "progressive" political cooperation within the Democratic Party.

In January 2008, Hayden wrote an oped piece for The Huffington Post supporting Barack Obama's presidential bid in the Democratic primaries.