Haight was born in
San Jose, California to George Haight and Isabella Hawkins. Haight's grandfather's first cousin was
Henry Huntly Haight, the
Governor of California from 1867 to 1871. Haight was also related to
Henry Haight, a prominent pioneer and
San Francisco banker during the
California Gold Rush. Haight was educated in law at the
University of Southern California, editing the
Daily Trojan for a year between 1918 and 1919. Following graduation, Haight entered a
Los Angeles-based law practice (Haight & Mathes, which would eventually become
Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton), and quickly gained a reputation with corporate investigations. He served as
City Attorney of
Venice, Los Angeles and on the Los Angeles Playground and Recreation Commission in the 1920s. In the
1934 California gubernatorial election, Haight initially campaigned for the
Republican nomination, gaining 85,000 votes. Haight ultimately lost to
Frank Merriam, who had recently been installed as governor following the death of
James Rolph. Haight continued to pursue the governorship, gaining the nominations of the Progressive Party and the Commonwealth Party, running against the
right-wing leaning Merriam, and against former
Socialist Party of America member and still self-avowed socialist, author
Upton Sinclair, the
Democratic Party candidate. During the campaign, there was discussion amongst Democratic supporters, including
A. P. Giannini, of asking Sinclair to leave the race in favor of Haight, due to belief that Haight's moderate politics and unassociation with socialism would stand better against Merriam's conservatism. Sinclair, however, remained unyielding. Haight campaigned as a
centrist between the rightist Merriam and the leftist Sinclair, seeking support from voters dissatisfied with both candidates. Haight garnered 302,519 votes, 13% of the vote. Much of Haight's voting strength came from the
San Joaquin Valley, where farmers were suspicious of Sinclair's
End Poverty in California scheme to take over so-called 'idle farms'. With 13% of the vote, Haight arguably
spoiled Sinclair's chances for the governorship. Haight would unsuccessfully run again as a Progressive in the
1938 election, though he would never garner the same support as he did in 1934. He returned to law, and rejoined Republican ranks. He served as a delegate to the
1944 Republican National Convention in
Chicago. Haight died in
San Diego on September 2, 1947. ==References==