March 19. On this date in 1954, Paul Haney, chairman of the NSA of the U.S., was appointed a Hand of the Cause of God by Shoghi Effendi after Dorothy Baker was killed in a plane accident.

March 19. On this date in 1954, Paul Haney, chairman of the NSA of the U.S., was appointed a Hand of the Cause of God by Shoghi Effendi after Dorothy Baker was killed in a plane accident.

Paul Haney was born on August 20, 1909 to Bahá’í parents.

In 1946 he was elected to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada. He represented the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States at the formation of Canada's independent National Spiritual Assembly in 1948. He was named chairman of the NSA of the United States in 1950 and continued to serve in that capacity until 1957. On March 19, 1954, Paul Haney, chairman of the NSA of the U.S., was appointed a Hand of the Cause of God by Shoghi Effendi after Dorothy Baker was killed in a plane accident.

After the death of Shoghi Effendi on November 4, 1957 Paul Haney was elected to be a Custodian of the Holy Land, and he gave up his job in the United States to serve the Faith in this capacity. He lived in the Holy Land, but he also traveled to represent the Hands of the Cause at various national conventions, including the First World Bahá’í Congress in London’s Albert Hall in 1963.

When the Universal House of Justice was elected, Paul was one of five Hands of the Cause elected as advisers. He also represented the Bahá’í World Center at diplomatic functions in Jerusalem.

He participated in the founding of the Continental Board of Counselors and the International Teaching Center in 1973 . He attended the four International Conventions that took place during his life, and chaired the opening session of the 1968 Convention.

 He died in Haifa on December 3, 1982 after sustaining injuries in a car accident.