[3] Following his loss to James, Hatem served as city attorney in Havre de Grace.
He resigned in 1970 when he was appointed by Governor Marvin Mandel as state insurance commissioner.
In 1974, Hatem ran for Maryland's 1st congressional district seat in U.S. Congress, but lost to Robert Bauman.
In 1976, acting Governor Blair Lee III appointed Hatem to a six-year term on the Public Service Commission.
[3][4] Hatem practiced law in Havre de Grace and Bel Air.
[4][6] Hatem died of leukemia on March 19, 1985, at the age of 59, at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
[1][9] Hatem was added to the Havre de Grace High School Hall of Fame in 2016.