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.
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.
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.
"[2] In November 1962, Hanes announced plans to shut down Birmingham City Hall's press room, saying, "Why should we continue to provide quarters, heat and light for our enemies?"
He followed that up by indicating that he would no longer speak with newspapers that advocated for a change in the form of Birmingham's government to mayor-council and would only make available documents that were of public record.
A subsequent editorial by Birmingham Post-Herald editor James E. Mills that criticized the move and charged that Hanes and other city commissioners had promised firefighters a raise if the vote failed.
The measure to change the government passed by a narrow margin, though Hanes continued to fight any election for mayor and council seats.
"[4] 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.
On November 10, less than two days before the trial was to begin, Ray dismissed Hanes and replaced him with the flamboyant Percy Foreman, a move that was seen by many as a stalling tactic.
In the trial two months later, one of the most damaging moments for Hanes' defense came when Chambliss' niece testified against the man who had been dubbed, "Dynamite Bob" by authorities.