1975 : Jimmy Hoffa disappears
On July 31, 1975, James Riddle Hoffa, one of the most influential
American labor leaders of the 20th century, disappears in Detroit,
Michigan, never to be heard from again. Though he is popularly
believed to have been the victim of a Mafia hit, conclusive evidence
was never found, and Hoffa's death remains shrouded in mystery to this
day.
Born in 1913 to a poor coal miner in Brazil, Indiana, Jimmy Hoffa
proved a natural leader in his youth. At the age of 20, he helped
organize a labor strike in Detroit, and remained an advocate for
downtrodden workers for the rest of his life. Hoffa's charisma and
talents as a local organizer quickly got him noticed by the Teamsters
and carried him upward through its ranks. Then a small but rapidly
growing union, the Teamsters organized truckers across the country,
and through the use of strikes, boycotts and some more powerful though
less legal methods of protest, won contract demands on behalf of
workers.
Hoffa became president of the Teamsters in 1957, when its former
leader was imprisoned for bribery. As chief, Hoffa was lauded for his
tireless work to expand the union, and for his unflagging devotion to
even the organization's least powerful members. His caring and
approachability were captured in one of the more well-known quotes
attributed to him: "You got a problem? Call me. Just pick up the
phone."
Hoffa's dedication to the worker and his electrifying public speeches
made him wildly popular, both among his fellow workers and the
politicians and businessmen with whom he negotiated. Yet, for all the
battles he fought and won on behalf of American drivers, he also had a
dark side. In Hoffa's time, many Teamster leaders partnered with the
Mafia in racketeering, extortion and embezzlement. Hoffa himself had
relationships with high-ranking mobsters, and was the target of
several government investigations throughout the 1960s. In 1967, he
was convicted of bribery and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
While in jail, Hoffa never ceded his office, and when Richard Nixon
commuted his sentence in 1971, he was poised to make a comeback.
Released on condition of not participating in union activities for 10
years, Hoffa was planning to fight the restriction in court when he
disappeared on July 31, 1975, from the parking lot of a restaurant in
Detroit, not far from where he got his start as a labor organizer.
Several conspiracy theories have been floated about Hoffa's
disappearance and the location of his remains, but the truth remains
unknown.
history.com/tdih.do
1556 : Ignatius of Loyola dies
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6975
1945 : Fugitive Vichy leader surrenders in Austria
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5222
1964 : Ranger 7 photographs moon
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5223
##########################################
On July 31, 1975, James Riddle Hoffa, one of the most influential
American labor leaders of the 20th century, disappears in Detroit,
Michigan, never to be heard from again. Though he is popularly
believed to have been the victim of a Mafia hit, conclusive evidence
was never found, and Hoffa's death remains shrouded in mystery to this
day.
Born in 1913 to a poor coal miner in Brazil, Indiana, Jimmy Hoffa
proved a natural leader in his youth. At the age of 20, he helped
organize a labor strike in Detroit, and remained an advocate for
downtrodden workers for the rest of his life. Hoffa's charisma and
talents as a local organizer quickly got him noticed by the Teamsters
and carried him upward through its ranks. Then a small but rapidly
growing union, the Teamsters organized truckers across the country,
and through the use of strikes, boycotts and some more powerful though
less legal methods of protest, won contract demands on behalf of
workers.
Hoffa became president of the Teamsters in 1957, when its former
leader was imprisoned for bribery. As chief, Hoffa was lauded for his
tireless work to expand the union, and for his unflagging devotion to
even the organization's least powerful members. His caring and
approachability were captured in one of the more well-known quotes
attributed to him: "You got a problem? Call me. Just pick up the
phone."
Hoffa's dedication to the worker and his electrifying public speeches
made him wildly popular, both among his fellow workers and the
politicians and businessmen with whom he negotiated. Yet, for all the
battles he fought and won on behalf of American drivers, he also had a
dark side. In Hoffa's time, many Teamster leaders partnered with the
Mafia in racketeering, extortion and embezzlement. Hoffa himself had
relationships with high-ranking mobsters, and was the target of
several government investigations throughout the 1960s. In 1967, he
was convicted of bribery and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
While in jail, Hoffa never ceded his office, and when Richard Nixon
commuted his sentence in 1971, he was poised to make a comeback.
Released on condition of not participating in union activities for 10
years, Hoffa was planning to fight the restriction in court when he
disappeared on July 31, 1975, from the parking lot of a restaurant in
Detroit, not far from where he got his start as a labor organizer.
Several conspiracy theories have been floated about Hoffa's
disappearance and the location of his remains, but the truth remains
unknown.
history.com/tdih.do
1556 : Ignatius of Loyola dies
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6975
1945 : Fugitive Vichy leader surrenders in Austria
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5222
1964 : Ranger 7 photographs moon
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5223
##########################################
No comments:
Post a Comment