HOFFA, JAMES RIDDLE
One of the most powerful labor leaders in U.S. history, James Riddle Hoffa ruled with brawn and charisma for 14 years as president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen, and Helpers of America. From 1957 to 1971, Hoffa bound the loose-knit Teamsters into a cohesive organization that won higher wages and tremendous bargaining power for its members. Loved by his union rank and file, he was thought ruthless, cunning, and corrupt by his enemies, among them law enforcement leaders such as ROBERT F. KENNEDY. Federal investigators pursued Hoffa for several years because of his reputed ties to ORGANIZED CRIME. He dodged conviction until
being found guilty in 1964 on unrelated charges of jury tampering and malfeasance in a real
estate deal. He began serving a 13-year prison
