William Simon U'Ren (January 10, 1859 – March 8, 1949) was an American lawyer and political activist. U'Ren promoted and helped pass a corrupt practices act, the presidential primary, and direct election of U.S. senators. As a progressive, U'Ren championed the initiative, referendum, and recall systems. These measures were also designed to promote democracy and weaken the power of backstage elites. His reforms in Oregon were widely copied in other states. He supported numerous other reforms, such as the interactive model of proportional representation, which was not enacted. He had little success in battles for a Georgist "Single Tax" on the unimproved value of land. Early life William Simon U'Ren (accent the last syllable) was born on January 10, 1859, in Lancaster, Wisconsin, the son of immigrants from Cornwall, England. Their surname was originally spelled Uren. U'Ren's father, William Richard U'Ren was a socialist who worked as a blacksmith and emigrated to America owing to difficult economic conditions. In America, the elder U'Ren lived as a farmer in the Midwest, working also as a blacksmith when possible. He also taught this trade to his son William. The family was both politically radical — following the journalism of Horace Greeley — but also devout albeit unconventional adherents of Christianity. At the age of 17 the younger U'Ren left home to make his way in the world, working as a miner in the state of Colorado. U'Ren studied law and business in the evenings. He earned a law degree and was admitted to the Colorado state bar at the age of 21. U'Ren practiced law for a time in the Colorado towns of Aspen, Gunnison, and Tincup. He also became involved in Republican Party politics and edited a newspaper for a time in Tincup. A long-time sufferer of asthma, while in Colorado U'Ren contracted tuberculosis, and consequently moved to Hawaii in search of a climate that would make possible his recovery from the frequently fatal illness. It was in Honolulu that U'Ren was exposed to the economic work of Henry George, Progress and Poverty, which was greatly influential upon his thought. In 1889, the 30-year-old U'Ren relocated to the Pacific Northwest, working for a time as a ranch hand for his parents in Eastern Oregon. U'Ren then moved to the western part of the state, settling in the town of Milwaukie, Oregon, just outside Portland, where he established a law practice. There