James Morrison Hawes

Later life and death Following the Civil War, Hawes and his wife returned to their destroyed home in Paris, Kentucky. They relocated to Covington, Kentucky in 1866, where Hawes became a hardware merchant. He still resisted the family tradition of a political career, possibly because of improprieties committed by his brother, Smith Hawes, while he was city treasurer.

Later in life, Hawes became known for decorating Confederate graves on Confederate Memorial Day. Hawes died at his home on November 22, 1889. His cause of death was listed as age and cerebritis. In January 1925, the United Daughters of the Confederacy honored Hawes with a service cross medal, which his grandson accepted on his behalf.