Tom Hayden was a prominent radical of the 1960s, and as a college student at the University of Michigan, he co-founded Students for a Democratic Society (SDS),a pivotal leftist student activist group that spearheaded the student unrest of the decade.
Born in Royal Oak, Michigan, to Genevieve Isabelle (Garity) and John Francis Hayden, a Marine who worked for Chrysler, Tom Hayden was of Irish ancestry. In 1961, at the age of 21, he co-authored the Port Huron Statement, a seminal document that served as the manifesto for the student radicals and peace activists of the New Left.
Hayden's influence on the radical movement of the 1960s was profound, and he was subsequently indicted by the federal government for allegedly conspiring to promote riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Although the Chicago 8 (later the Chicago 7) were convicted, their conviction was later overturned.
As the tumultuous decade drew to a close, Hayden became increasingly involved in anti-war politics, and in 1972, he founded the Indochina Peace Campaign. Hayden's personal life was marked by a romantic relationship with actress Jane Fonda, whom he married in 1973. The couple had a son, Troy Garity, in 1973, who would go on to become an actor.
Fonda's financial support helped finance Hayden's political career, and although he was unsuccessful in his bids for the U.S. Senate and the mayoralty of Los Angeles, he was elected to the California State Assembly in 1982 and the State Senate in 1992, two years after his divorce from Fonda.
As a prominent figure in progressive politics in California, Hayden focused on issues related to economic justice, the environment, and animal rights. He was a member of the Progressive Democrats of America and endorsed Barack Obama in 2008.
