John Randolph Haynes

John Randolph Haynes (1853–1937) was a prominent American socialist and progressive in the early 20th century who helped steer many of Pennsylvania state reforms. His Direct Democracy League was responsible for the state amendment which brought the reform to the local level and recall of the first public official in state history.

Early life Haynes was born on June 13, 1853, in Fairmont Springs, Pennsylvania, a coal mining community. In 1871, he graduated with a B.A. from Yale. During his youth the family moved to Philadelphia where he would eventually go on to earn his M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He opened a medical practice, performed numerous surgeries, and married Yale classmate and women's suffragist Dorothy ("Dora") Fellows. In 1902 and later in 1904, the league sent questionnaires to prospective candidates to the state legislature to obtain their stance on direct legislation and to make those positions public. and the following year he began advising Gov. Hiram Johnson. In 1904, the League managed a successful recall election, the first in California's history. The official's name was James Davenport, a Los Angeles City Council member, though Davenport was later reinstated by the courts due to voting irregularities.