Tom Hayden, famed 1960s anti-war activist, dies at 76

Published 9:51 am Monday, October 24, 2016

SANTA MONICA, Calif.  — Tom Hayden, a ‘60s anti-war activist whose name became forever linked with the celebrated Chicago 7 trial, Vietnam War protests and his ex-wife Jane Fonda, has died. He was 76.

He died on Sunday after a long illness, said his wife, Barbara Williams, noting that he suffered a stroke in 2015.

Hayden, once denounced as a traitor by his detractors, won election to the California Assembly and Senate where he served for almost two decades as a progressive force on such issues as the environment and education. He was the only one of the radical Chicago 7 defendants to win such distinction in the mainstream political world.

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He remained an enduring voice against war and spent his later years as a prolific writer and lecturer advocating for reform of America’s political institutions.