Art Hanes

Arthur J. Hanes
Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama
In office 1961–1963
Preceded by	James W. Morgan
Succeeded by	Albert Boutwell
Personal details
Born	October 19, 1916
Died	May 8, 1997
Political party	Democratic

Arthur J. Hanes (October 19, 1916 – May 8, 1997) served as mayor of Birmingham, Alabama between 1961 and 1963, a tumultuous time that saw the city become a focal point in the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement during the Birmingham campaign. 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.

Hanes graduated from Birmingham-Southern College, 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.

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 votes

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."

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