William Simon U'Ren was born on January 10, 1859 in Lancaster, Wisconsin, United States, the son of William Richard and Frances Jane (Ivey) U'Ren, immigrants from Cornwall, England. 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.
William Simon U'Ren was educated in the public schools, after which he took a business college course and studied law at Denver, Colorado, where he was admitted to the bar in 1881.
He practiced in Aspen, Gunnison, and Tin Cup, Colorado, but in 1888, ill with tuberculosis, went to Hawaii, where he worked on a sugar plantation. Then U'Ren moved to the western part of the state, settling in the town of Milwaukie, Oregon, just outside Portland, where he established a law practice.
He was founder and secretary of the Oregon Direct Legislation League (1892-1902); member of the Oregon House of Representatives (1896); organizer and secretary of the Oregon Direct Primary Nominations League (1894), and People's Power League of Oregon (1906 and 1908).
U’Ren advocated the idea that the surest way to secure the adoption of the "single tax" was to institute the initiative, referendum and recall. His efforts in this direction was so effective that he has been called the "Father" of the Initiative and Referendum. U’Ren and the Direct Legislation League won passage of an initiative and referendum amendment in 1898 that was approved and ratified by 1902.
U'Ren was involved in spiritualism — a major intellectual fad of the era — and became involved with the prominent Luelling family, who were actively interested in it. He attended a séance.
Inspired by James W. Sullivan's book "Direct Legislation by the Citizenship Through the Initiative and Referendum" (1892), U'ren decided to invest his time and effort in the cause.
U’Ren brought together representatives of the state Farmer’s Alliance and labor unions to form the Direct Legislation League, of which he was named secretary. He had an express goal of implementing the three legs of direct democracy – Initiative, referendum, and recall. In 1894 U’Ren was elected chairman at the Populist Party convention, and won approval of an Initiative & Referendum platform plank. In 1896 U'Ren won a seat in the Oregon House of Representatives; however, in 1897 the House failed to organize, only holding a short special session in the fall of 1898. U'Ren worked the legislature during his term, without success, to gain approval for initiative and referendum. After his 1897 defeat, U'Ren reorganized the Oregon Direct Legislation League to broaden the base of initiative, referendum, and recall support. U’Ren and the Direct Legislation League won passage of an initiative and referendum amendment in 1898 which was approved and ratified by 1902.
U'Ren associated himself with many initiative efforts, including banning free railroad passes, popular election of U. S. Senators, and establishing the first presidential primary in the United States. Moreover, he advocated such initiatives as a 1906 constitutional amendment extending initiative and referendum powers to local jurisdictions, and a 1908 amendment that gave voters power to recall elected officials. In 1912, he proposed an amendment to the Oregon Constitution to essentially weigh each legislator's vote on proposed bills according to the number of votes he received in the last election; this measure failed by a large margin.
In 1908 U'Ren led the successful effort to amend the Oregon state constitution to accommodate proportional representation that would provide voters with first, second and third choices on the ballot.
U'Ren was a strong proponent of the single tax system, but was unsuccessful in getting it adopted in Oregon. After his defeat in a 1914 race for Governor on the single tax platform, he largely withdrew from active politics.
On March 6, 1901, U'Ren married Mary Beharrell, a widow, in Portland, Oregon, United States.
They had no children.
He was a socialist who worked as a blacksmith that emigrated to America owing to difficult economic conditions. In America, he lived as a farmer in the Midwest, working also as a blacksmith when possible. He also taught this trade to his son William.
He was involved in Oregon's movement for Initiative and Referendum.
While living in Milwaukie, U'Ren became good friends with the Lewelling Family (sometimes spelled Luelling). The Lewelling Family were well known for their orcharding and spiritualism. U'Ren helped the Lewelling nursery business until the panic of 1893. U'Ren was introduced to the work of James W. Sullivan when Alfred Lewelling gave him a copy of Direct Legislation by the Citizenship Through the Initiative and Referendum.
