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Will H. Hays | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chairman of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America | |
| In office 1922–1945 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Eric Johnston |
| 46th United States Postmaster General | |
| In office March 5, 1921 – March 3, 1922 | |
| President | Warren G. Harding |
| Preceded by | Albert S. Burleson |
| Succeeded by | Hubert Work |
| Chair of the Republican National Committee | |
| In office February 13, 1918 – June 8, 1921 | |
| Preceded by | William Willcox |
| Succeeded by | John T. Adams |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Harrison Hays November 5, 1879 Sullivan, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | March 7, 1954 (aged 74) Sullivan, Indiana, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | Helen Louise Thomas
(m. 1902; div. 1929)Jessie Herron Stutsman
(m. 1930) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Wabash College (BA) |
William Harrison Hays Sr. (/heɪz/; November 5, 1879 – March 7, 1954) was an American politician, and member of the Republican Party. As chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1918 to 1921, Hays managed the successful 1920 presidential campaign of Warren G. Harding. Harding then appointed Hays to his cabinet as his first Postmaster General. He resigned from the cabinet in 1922 to become the first chairman of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America. As chairman, Hays oversaw the promulgation of the Motion Picture Production Code (informally known as the Hays Code), which spelled out a set of moral guidelines for the self-censorship of content in American cinema.[1]