Hoffa, << HOF uh, >> Jimmy (1913-1975?), an American labor leader, was international president of the Teamsters Union from 1958 to 1971. He disappeared in 1975. Police believe he may have been kidnapped and murdered. Hoffa helped increase the influence of the Teamsters, one of the strongest unions in the United States. In 1964, he signed the first national contract with trucking companies in Teamster history.
As a labor leader, Hoffa became a much-debated public figure. He was indicted by several grand juries on a variety of charges, including bribery and misuse of union funds. He successfully defended himself several times. But in 1964, he was convicted of jury tampering and misusing union funds. In 1967, he began serving an eight-year prison term for the jury tampering conviction. In 1969, he was sentenced to five more years for the union funds conviction. He was released from prison in late 1971 after President Richard M. Nixon reduced his sentence, and after receiving time off for good behavior.
James Riddle Hoffa was born on Feb. 14, 1913, in Brazil, Indiana. He joined the Teamsters in 1932 as a warehouseman. Hoffa’s son, James P. Hoffa, was elected president of the Teamsters in 1998.
