Art Hanes
Encyclopedia
Arthur J. Hanes served as mayor of Birmingham, Alabama
between 1961 and 1963, a tumultuous time that saw the city become a focal point in the burgeoning African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
. Hanes, who served just one term as mayor, was part of a three-man commission that ran the city, a trio which included police commissioner Eugene (Bull) Connor
. Hanes would also serve as legal counsel for defendants in two important murder cases connected to the civil rights movement.
, playing on both the baseball and football squads, before then earning a law degree from the University of Alabama
. He then became an FBI agent moving on to serve as head of security at Birmingham's Hayes Aircraft in 1951.
Hanes' tenure as mayor of Birmingham was marked by virulent opposition to desegregation, an approach that helped the city to acquire the dubious nickname "Bombingham", a reference to the often violent nature of such protests. In addition, Hanes created a firestorm in December 1961, when he defied a federal court order by closing 67 parks, 38 playgrounds, eight swimming pools and four golf courses in the city. The order had demanded that those facilities integrated by January 15, 1962, but Hanes simply cut off $295,000 in park funds and dismissed its employees. Shortly afterward, he met with 60 local residents who implored him to reconsider his order, but Hanes remained adamant in his opposition. One individual had cited the inevitability of integration, but Hanes snapped, "That's your opinion, madam," and later closed the meeting by saying, "I don't think any of you want a nigger mayor or a nigger police chief, but I tell you, that's what'll happen if we play dead on this park integration."
in March 1965, a civil rights worker, Viola Liuzzo
, was murdered. The subsequent trial of her accused murderers, Collie Leroy Jenkins, Jr., Eugene Thomas and William Orville Eaton, resulted in a hung jury
, but before a second trial could commence, the trio's lawyer, Matt H. Murphy, Jr., was killed in an automobile accident. He was replaced by Hanes, who had served as a pallbearer at Murphy's funeral, insisted he would "stick to the facts," a nod to the racist appeals made by Murphy in the first case. The trio was acquitted in the state court, but were found guilty in federal court on December 3, 1965, and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Less than two weeks after that verdict was rendered, Hanes was in court again on another case when he filed a libel suit against Time Inc.
on behalf of Bernard Lee Akin, Earl B. Akin, Tommy A. Horne, James Thomas Harris and Oliver Warner, Jr. The five men claimed that their businesses had been damaged when Life Magazine, in their December 15, 1964 issue, identified them as members of the Ku Klux Klan
. The case was thrown out of court two months later when Federal Judge Seybourn H. Lynne ruled that the plaintiffs had not filed in the required one-year time period when they filed on December 16, 1965."
In June 1968, fugitive James Earl Ray
, wanted for the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr.
in Memphis, Tennessee two months earlier, was captured in London, England and retained Hanes as his lawyer. Hanes visited with him on July 5–6, 1968, approximately 10 days before Ray dropped his bid to avoid extradition. Expecting to travel back with Ray, Hanes was outraged when his client was taken back to Memphis in the middle of the night. Unfounded fears of FBI agents questioning him without a lawyer were the basis for Hanes' anger, who also said, ""The case against this boy is full of holes and I've got a few bombshells that we're going to drop into those holes."
Hanes never got that chance, when on November 10, less than two days before his trial was to begin, Ray dismissed Hanes and replaced with the flamboyant Percy Foreman
, a move that was seen by many as a stalling tactic. Tensions between Ray and Hanes had begun to surface in September 1968 when Ray insisted that J.B. Stoner, a Georgia lawyer who was also a former Ku Klux Klan organizer, be added to the defense team. Hanes refused, but Ray dropped the request soon after meeting with Stoner. Ray's brothers had also complained that Hanes had not negotiated a better deal with Look Magazine
on a series of stories on Ray's life, and also wanted libel suits filed against a number of magazines that had referred to Ray as King's murderer. Ray eventually pleaded guilty to King's murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison in March 1969. Despite his dismissal by Ray, Hanes continued to support Ray's claims of innocence.
Hanes died on May 8, 1997.
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
between 1961 and 1963, a tumultuous time that saw the city become a focal point in the burgeoning African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
The African-American Civil Rights Movement refers to the movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring voting rights to them. This article covers the phase of the movement between 1955 and 1968, particularly in the South...
. Hanes, who served just one term as mayor, was part of a three-man commission that ran the city, a trio which included police commissioner Eugene (Bull) Connor
Bull Connor
Theophilus Eugene "Bull" Connor was the Commissioner of Public Safety for the city of Birmingham, Alabama, during the American Civil Rights Movement...
. Hanes would also serve as legal counsel for defendants in two important murder cases connected to the civil rights movement.
Early years
Hanes graduated from Birmingham-Southern CollegeBirmingham-Southern College
Birmingham–Southern College is a 4-year, private liberal arts college located three miles northwest of downtown Birmingham. Founded in 1856, it is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Approximately 1400 students from 30 states and 23 foreign countries attend the college...
, playing on both the baseball and football squads, before then earning a law degree from the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
. He then became an FBI agent moving on to serve as head of security at Birmingham's Hayes Aircraft in 1951.
Mayoral career
Ten years later, he began as the underdog in a runoff election for mayor of Birmingham, with his opponent, Tom King, a former district attorney, focusing on economic factors. Hanes found his niche in the closing weeks of the campaign when he began to emphasize differences toward racial issues between the two men. Hanes distributed a photo of King shaking the hand of black man, noted his support among blacks during the primary and referred to him as "Washington's candidate," a clear appeal to those opposed to integration. Hanes won the election by nearly 4,000 votesHanes' tenure as mayor of Birmingham was marked by virulent opposition to desegregation, an approach that helped the city to acquire the dubious nickname "Bombingham", a reference to the often violent nature of such protests. In addition, Hanes created a firestorm in December 1961, when he defied a federal court order by closing 67 parks, 38 playgrounds, eight swimming pools and four golf courses in the city. The order had demanded that those facilities integrated by January 15, 1962, but Hanes simply cut off $295,000 in park funds and dismissed its employees. Shortly afterward, he met with 60 local residents who implored him to reconsider his order, but Hanes remained adamant in his opposition. One individual had cited the inevitability of integration, but Hanes snapped, "That's your opinion, madam," and later closed the meeting by saying, "I don't think any of you want a nigger mayor or a nigger police chief, but I tell you, that's what'll happen if we play dead on this park integration."
Legal Highlights
During the second of the Selma to Montgomery marchesSelma to Montgomery marches
The Selma to Montgomery marches were three marches in 1965 that marked the political and emotional peak of the American civil rights movement. They grew out of the voting rights movement in Selma, Alabama, launched by local African-Americans who formed the Dallas County Voters League...
in March 1965, a civil rights worker, Viola Liuzzo
Viola Liuzzo
Viola Fauver Gregg Liuzzo was a Unitarian Universalist civil rights activist from Michigan, who was murdered by Ku Klux Klan members after the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches in Alabama...
, was murdered. The subsequent trial of her accused murderers, Collie Leroy Jenkins, Jr., Eugene Thomas and William Orville Eaton, resulted in a hung jury
Hung jury
A hung jury or deadlocked jury is a jury that cannot, by the required voting threshold, agree upon a verdict after an extended period of deliberation and is unable to change its votes due to severe differences of opinion.- England and Wales :...
, but before a second trial could commence, the trio's lawyer, Matt H. Murphy, Jr., was killed in an automobile accident. He was replaced by Hanes, who had served as a pallbearer at Murphy's funeral, insisted he would "stick to the facts," a nod to the racist appeals made by Murphy in the first case. The trio was acquitted in the state court, but were found guilty in federal court on December 3, 1965, and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Less than two weeks after that verdict was rendered, Hanes was in court again on another case when he filed a libel suit against Time Inc.
Time Inc.
Time Inc. is a subsidiary of the media conglomerate Time Warner, the company formed by the 1990 merger of the original Time Inc. and Warner Communications. It publishes 130 magazines, most notably its namesake, Time...
on behalf of Bernard Lee Akin, Earl B. Akin, Tommy A. Horne, James Thomas Harris and Oliver Warner, Jr. The five men claimed that their businesses had been damaged when Life Magazine, in their December 15, 1964 issue, identified them as members of the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
. The case was thrown out of court two months later when Federal Judge Seybourn H. Lynne ruled that the plaintiffs had not filed in the required one-year time period when they filed on December 16, 1965."
In June 1968, fugitive James Earl Ray
James Earl Ray
James Earl Ray was an American criminal convicted of the assassination of civil rights and anti-war activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr....
, wanted for the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
in Memphis, Tennessee two months earlier, was captured in London, England and retained Hanes as his lawyer. Hanes visited with him on July 5–6, 1968, approximately 10 days before Ray dropped his bid to avoid extradition. Expecting to travel back with Ray, Hanes was outraged when his client was taken back to Memphis in the middle of the night. Unfounded fears of FBI agents questioning him without a lawyer were the basis for Hanes' anger, who also said, ""The case against this boy is full of holes and I've got a few bombshells that we're going to drop into those holes."
Hanes never got that chance, when on November 10, less than two days before his trial was to begin, Ray dismissed Hanes and replaced with the flamboyant Percy Foreman
Percy Foreman
Percy Eugene Foreman was a criminal defense attorney from Houston, Texas. Foreman was born near Bold Springs, Texas, and moved to Livingston, Texas when he was six years old. He was the son of William P. Foreman, a former sheriff of Polk County, Texas...
, a move that was seen by many as a stalling tactic. Tensions between Ray and Hanes had begun to surface in September 1968 when Ray insisted that J.B. Stoner, a Georgia lawyer who was also a former Ku Klux Klan organizer, be added to the defense team. Hanes refused, but Ray dropped the request soon after meeting with Stoner. Ray's brothers had also complained that Hanes had not negotiated a better deal with Look Magazine
Look (American magazine)
Look was a bi-weekly, general-interest magazine published in Des Moines, Iowa from 1937 to 1971, with more of an emphasis on photographs than articles...
on a series of stories on Ray's life, and also wanted libel suits filed against a number of magazines that had referred to Ray as King's murderer. Ray eventually pleaded guilty to King's murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison in March 1969. Despite his dismissal by Ray, Hanes continued to support Ray's claims of innocence.
Hanes died on May 8, 1997.