Anti-Vietnam War activist Tom Hayden dies

Tom Hayden, a peace activist whose radical views helped fuel the anti-Vietnam War movement in the 1960s, died last weekend at the age of 76.

Tom Hayden, a famous anti-war activist in the 1960s. Photo: NewYorkTimes

Mr. Hayden passed away on the evening of October 23 with his family at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, California, CNN quoted his wife, Barbara Williams, as saying.

Mr. Hayden, a California state legislator for nearly two decades, died at the age of 76 from complications from a stroke 18 months ago. “A political giant and dear friend has passed,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said on Twitter. “Tom Hayden fought for what he believed in harder than anyone I have ever known.”

He began his political career as a student at the University of Michigan, where he was a founding member of Students for a Democratic Society. He opposed the Vietnam War by writing the group's Port Huron manifesto, a visionary document that has inspired democracy movements to this day.

Hayden was a member of the "Chicago 7" group, accused of conspiring to incite violence during anti-Vietnam War protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The court overturned the conviction after receiving an appeal.

He was married to actress Jane Fonda from 1973 to 1990 and had two children. According to the New York Times, he once traveled to Hanoi to bring American prisoners of war back home. He became a California state senator in 1982 and was elected to the state senate 10 years later.

Tom Hayden's writings have appeared in numerous publications, including the New York Times, Boston Globe, and Denver Post. He also serves on the editorial board of Nation magazine and is the author of more than 20 books.

According to VNE