Kalan Haywood II (born June 5, 1999) is an American activist and Democratic politician from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Wisconsin's 16th Assembly district since 2019. He is also assistant minority leader in the Assembly since 2022.
Kalan Haywood | |
|---|---|
| Assistant Minority Leader of the Wisconsin Assembly | |
| Assumed office February 11, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Dianne Hesselbein |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 16th district | |
| Assumed office January 7, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Leon Young |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kalan Haywood II June 5, 1999 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence(s) | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Education | |
| Website | Official website |
Born in 1999, Haywood is the second youngest person ever elected to the Wisconsin Legislature (19 years old at the start of his first term), and remains one of the youngest legislators in the United States.
Early life and education
Haywood was born on June 5, 1999, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He graduated from the Rufus King International High School and attended Cardinal Stritch University before its shutdown in 2023; he now attends the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, pursuing a finance major.[1]
Haywood's father, Kalan Haywood Sr., is the founder of a real estate development firm and an influential man in Milwaukee.[2]
Career
Haywood served as president of the City of Milwaukee Youth Council. He also worked as a non-profit consultant and was a member of the City of Milwaukee Restorative Justice Advisory Committee.[3]
Haywood was 19 years old when he won the Democratic primary election in August 2018 and the general election in November 2018, making him the youngest person serving in the Wisconsin Assembly and one of the youngest legislators in America.[4][5][6]
In the fall of 2021, Haywood was elected by the Assembly Democratic caucus as their new assistant minority leader, following the resignation of the previous leadership team.[7]