Harry T. Hayward (c. 1865 – December 11, 1895) was an American socialite, gambler, arsonist, and murderer. Due to his ability to manipulate others, the newspapers of the era dubbed Hayward, "The Minneapolis Svengali," "the most cold-blooded murderer that ever walked God's footstool", and, "the most bloodthirsty soul ever to usurp the human frame." A seemingly respectable member of Victorian polite society, Hayward shocked almost everyone who knew him when he was exposed as the mastermind of one of America's most infamous crimes during the Gilded Age—the 1894 murder for hire of dressmaker .