A Democrat, he served one term in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1972 to 1976 and made three unsuccessful bids for gubernatorial office in 1975, 1979, and 1987.

He subsequently joined the U.S. Army, reaching the rank of sergeant and serving as a judge advocate in the Judge Advocate General's Corps before obtaining a Bachelor of Laws and a Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law.

He married Patricia Lovorn on August 23, 1963, and had three children with her: John Arthur Jr., Paige, and Tiffany.

He began practicing law in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1963[2] and established a reputation as a successful trial lawyer.

[4] Eaves died on March 18, 2022, at the Mississippi Baptist Medical Center in Jackson, succumbing to cancer.