Maximillian Sebastian Hayes (25 May 1866 – 11 October 1945) was an American newspaper editor, trade union activist, and socialist politician.

In 1912 Hayes became the first candidate to challenge Samuel Gompers for the presidency of the American Federation of Labor in nearly a decade, drawing about 30 percent of the vote in his losing effort.

Hayes was a member of the International Typographical Union (ITU) from 1884 and worked as a general organizer for the labor movement in the Cleveland area for 15 years.

[2] Although Hayes had been a vocal opponent of Samuel Gompers while he was a member of the AFL, he was even more opposed to the SLP's Socialist Trade and Labor Alliance (ST&LA), which he believed to be sectarian and destructive.

He withdrew from the race, however, in favor of the candidacy of Job Harriman in a unity ticket that brought together the former-SLP dissidents with the Chicago-based Social Democratic Party of America of Eugene V. Debs and Victor L.

[2] Hayes was one of five members of the "Springfield SDP", joining a like number from the Chicago organization, named to a special committee in charge of preparations for the August 1901 Joint Unity Convention from which the Socialist Party of America was born.

[2] The 1911 annual convention of the American Federation of Labor, held in Atlanta, Georgia, saw the introduction of a resolution by a socialist member of the Brewery Workers' Union endorsing the use of a direct vote of member unions instead of a vote of assembled convention delegates for the selection of AFL officers.

[7] Gompers declared himself to have long been in favor of expansion of the initiative and referendum and accused the socialists of having systemically and intentionally published "the rankest untruth" and "vile falsehood" about his actual sentiments on the matter.

[7] Gompers stated that he had found the main resolution for immediate direct elections of AFL officers by member unions "indefensible," instead favoring investigation of the matter as called for in the minority report.

[8]Gompers's preferred option ultimately prevailed and the proposal to directly elect AFL leadership was voted down at the 1911 convention.

Hayes then joined the fledgling "Farmer-Labor Party" and was named to the national ticket as candidate for Vice President of the United States, running with the group's presidential nominee, Parley Parker Christensen.

Christensen did fare exceptionally well for a third-party candidate in Washington state and South Dakota, where he outpolled Democrat James M. Cox in more than one-third of all counties.