John Hanes II was educated at the Woodberry Forest School in Madison County, Virginia and went on to graduate from Yale University in 1915.

[3] She died at their home in Rye, New York on September 19, 1935,[4] In 1937 he married Hope Yandell, former wife of William Arnold Hanger, with whom he had a son and a daughter.

When the war ended, he went to New York City where found employment as a bond salesman with the Wall Street stock brokerage firm, Charles D. Barney and Company.

John and Hope Hanes were part of the syndicate that purchased top stars for breeding such as My Babu, Nashua, and Royal Charger.

[14] In 1953, John Hanes II was elected a steward of the New York Racing Association and served as it unpaid President from 1954 to 1960 when he was named Chairman.

"[1] Hanes resigned from the NYRA executive at the end of 1961 following treatment for a heart problem at Lawrence & Memorial Hospital in New London, Connecticut.