Hoffa, at right, testifies before the McLellan Committee in the late 1950s.
Photo from Detnews.com
Important U.S. Labor Leaders: Jimmy Hoffa
Jimmy Hoffa, president of the Teamsters Union from 1957 to 1971, was perhaps the most controversial American union leader during the last half of the twentieth century. Hoffa began union organizing activities for the Teamsters—truck drivers—in the 1930s. He rose rapidly through the union’s ranks and in 1957 became its president when his predecessor was sent to jail. But Hoffa’ rise to prominence was tainted by his ties with the Mafia, or “organized crime.” Under Hoffa, corruption was rampant in the Teamsters union. The union leadership built a reputation for fraud, violence, and stealing from union funds to live lavish lifestyles. During the Kennedy administration, Attorney General Robert Kennedy led a government investigation of the Teamsters Union that resulted in criminal charges of fund fraud, jury tampering, and conspiracy being leveled against Hoffa. After a lengthy trial, Jimmy Hoffa was convicted and sentenced to federal prison for thirteen years. However, after serving only four years, President Nixon ordered Hoffa released. Hoffa was a staunch Republican and Nixon supporter and it was rumored that a deal had been struck between the two men. Hoffa’s organized crime connections finally did him in on July 30, 1975. Following a meeting with Mafia bosses, which apparently didn’t go well, Hoffa mysteriously disappeared. It is assumed the Mafia ordered his murder. Jimmy Hoffa was legally declared dead in 1982, although his body has never been found.
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