Soldier of big battle against Vietnam War passes away

Tom Hayden was a member of the ‘Chicago 7’, convicted on federal charges of conspiracy and incitement to riot over anti-Vietnam War protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. (Photo: AFP)

Peace activist Tom Hayden, whose radical views were at the forefront of the anti-Vietnam War movement in the 1960s, has died.

He was 76. Hayden’s wife, Canadian actress and author Barbara Williams, told CNN that he died late Sunday at the UCLA Medical Centre in Santa Monica, California, from complications related to a 2015 stroke.

On Twitter, his official account hailed him as a “1960s radical who became a champion of liberal causes.”

Hayden was a member of the “Chicago 7” convicted on federal charges of conspiracy and incitement to riot over anti-Vietnam War protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

The conviction was overturned on appeal. As an ideological leader of the influential Students for a Democratic Society, he authored its Port Huron statement, a visionary document that still inspires anti-authoritarian and pro-democracy movements today.

“We are people of this generation, bred in at least modest comfort, housed now in universities, looking uncomfortably to the world we inherit,” reads the document’s first line.

He later served for almost two decades as a California state legislator, both in the State Assembly and the Senate, and was married to actress and fellow political activist Jane Fonda from 1973 to 1990.

Hayden also had a son, Liam, with Williams. Liberal leaders quickly paid tribute to Hayden.

“A political giant and dear friend has passed. Tom Hayden fought harder for what he believed than just about anyone I have known. RIP, Tom,” tweeted Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

Alan Spencer, who was recruited by Hayden to write debate material in the 1980s, praised his former boss, saying “he shook up the system, made an impact.”

Hayden taught at various universities, including the University of California, Los Angeles, Pitzer College, Occidental College and the Harvard Institute of Politics.