James Riddle Hoffa (born February 14, 1913 – disappeared July 30, 1975,
legally deadIn law, death in absentia is the status of a person who has been declared legally dead when the person disappears but no identifiable remains can be located or recovered.-Facts, circumstances, and the "balance of probabilities":...
since 1982) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
trade unionA trade union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas, such as working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labor contracts with employers...
ist.
Hoffa served as the General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters from 1958–1971 despite being incarcerated during the latter four years of his tenure. Hoffa, who had been convicted of
jury tamperingJury tampering is the crime of unduly attempting to influence the composition and/or decisions of a jury during the course of a trial.The means by which this crime could be perpetrated can include attempting to discredit potential jurors to ensure they will not be selected for duty. Once selected,...
and attempted bribery in 1964, was imprisoned in 1967 after exhausting the appeal process. However he did not officially resign the Teamsters' presidency until 1971. This was part of a pardon agreement with U.S. president
Richard NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States and is the only president to resign the office. He was also the 36th Vice President of the United States ....
, in order to facilitate Hoffa's release from prison. Hoffa was last seen in 1975 outside a suburban Detroit restaurant called "The Red Fox."
Early life
Hoffa was born in
Brazil, IndianaBrazil is a city in Clay County, Indiana, United States. The population was 8,188 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Clay County. It is part of the Terre Haute Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, on February 14, 1913. His paternal ancestors were "
Pennsylvania DutchThe Pennsylvania Dutch are the descendants of Germanic peoples who emigrated to the U.S. , from Germany and The Low Countries prior to 1800. The Dutch are generally regarded as one of several Germanic peoples...
" and Irish-American. Hoffa's father, John Cleveland Hoffa, a coal driller, died of lung disease in 1920. After his father's death, the family moved to
DetroitDetroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada. It was founded...
, where Hoffa was raised and lived for much of his life.
Union activities
The Teamsters organized truckers and firefighters first throughout the Midwest, and then nationwide across the United States. It skillfully used "quickie strikes",
secondary boycottA secondary boycott is an attempt by labor to convince others to stop doing business with a particular firm because that firm does business with another firm that is the subject of a strike and/or a primary boycott.-Background:...
s, and other means of leveraging union strength at one company to organize workers and win contract demands at others.
Hoffa took over the presidency of the Teamsters in 1957, when his predecessor,
Dave BeckDave Beck was an American labor leader, and president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters from 1952 to 1957...
, was convicted on bribery charges and imprisoned. Hoffa worked to expand the union, and, in 1964, succeeded in bringing virtually all over-the-road truck drivers in
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
under a single national master-freight agreement. Hoffa then tried to bring the
airlineAn airline provides air transport services for passengers or freight, generally with a recognized operating certificate or license. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit.Airlines vary...
workers and other transport employees into the union.
Hoffa's son,
James P. HoffaJames Phillip Hoffa is an American attorney and labor leader and the General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Hoffa was first elected in December 1998 and took office on March 19, 1999...
, is the Teamsters' current leader. His daughter,
Barbara Ann CrancerBarbara Ann Crancer , St. Louis County Associate Circuit Court Judge and daughter of former Teamsters Union president Jimmy Hoffa.Crancer was born in Detroit, Michigan to James Riddle Hoffa and Josephine Hoffa...
, currently serves as an associate circuit court judge in
St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. With an estimated population of 354,361 in 2008, it is the principal municipality of Greater St. Louis, population 2,866,517, the largest urban area in Missouri and sixteenth largest in the United States...
.
Conviction and disappearance
In 1964, Hoffa was convicted of attempted bribery of a grand juror and jailed for 15 years. On December 23, 1971, however, he was released when President
Richard NixonRichard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States and is the only president to resign the office. He was also the 36th Vice President of the United States ....
commuted his sentence to time served on the condition he not participate in union activities for 10 years. Hoffa was planning to sue to invalidate that restriction in order to reassert his power over the Teamsters when he disappeared at, or sometime after, 2:45 pm on July 30, 1975 from the parking lot of the
Machus Red FoxMachus Red Fox was a restaurant on Telegraph Road in Bloomfield Township, Michigan. It is perhaps most famous as the place whence former Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa disappeared on July 30, 1975....
Restaurant in
Bloomfield Township, Oakland County, MichiganBloomfield Charter Township, known officially as The Charter Township of Bloomfield, is an affluent charter township of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 43,023...
, a suburb of
DetroitDetroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada. It was founded...
. He had been due to meet two Mafia leaders, Anthony Giacolone from
DetroitDetroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Wayne County. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwest region of the United States. Located north of Windsor, Ontario, Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada. It was founded...
and
Anthony ProvenzanoAnthony "Tony Pro" Provenzano was a Caporegime in the Genovese crime family of New York City. Provenzano was known for his connections to Teamsters Union leader Jimmy Hoffa and President Richard Nixon due to Provenzano's position as an International Brotherhood of Teamsters vice president for...
from
Union City, New JerseyUnion City is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. According to the United States 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 67,088, living on a land area of 3.28 km² . It is the most densely populated city in the United States, with a density of 52,977.8 per square mile -...
and
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
.
Investigations into his disappearance
DNA evidence examined in 2001 placed Hoffa in the car of long-time Teamster associate Charles "Chuckie" O'Brien (who has been described as Hoffa's "foster son"), despite O'Brien's claims that Hoffa had never been in the car. Police interviews later that year failed to produce any indictments.
Donald Frankos
In 1993, authors
William HoffmanWilliam Hoffman was an American writer who published thirteen novels and four books of short stories. He lived in Charlotte Court House, Virginia....
and Lake Headley released the book
Contract Killer: The Explosive Story of the Mafia's Most Notorious Hitman, written with the cooperation of former mobster Donald Frankos, who was also known as "Tony the Greek." Among other crimes, Frankos confessed during the course of the book that, while serving a lengthy prison term for the murder of
Lucchese crime familyThe Lucchese crime family is one of the "Five Families" that controls organized crime activities in New York City, U.S., within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia...
associate
Richard BilelloRichard Bilello also known as "Richie" Richard Bilello also known as "Richie" Richard Bilello also known as "Richie" (1930 Brownsville, Brooklyn- October 28, 1974 Dannemora, New York, was a Lucchese crime family mob associate and informant who served under capo Paul Vario...
, he had participated in a number of mob murders outside of prison via the use of phony
furloughA furlough is a temporary leave of absence from employment, duty in the armed services, or from a prison term. It may be voluntary or involuntary....
s provided by corrupt prison officials.
Frankos claimed that, during one of those furloughs, he took part in the murder of Hoffa, as part of a hit team consisting of himself, Irish mobster John Sullivan, and
James CoonanJames "Jimmy C" Coonan is an Irish-American mobster and racketeer from Manhattan, New York who is currently serving a 75 year prison term.-Biography:...
, the notorious boss of the Westies. According to Frankos, Hoffa was lured by his close friend Chuckie O'Brien to a house owned by Detroit mobster Anthony Giacolone. Once there, Hoffa was shot and killed by Coonan and Frankos using
suppressedA suppressor, sound suppressor, sound moderator, or silencer, is a device either attached to or part of the barrel of a firearm to reduce the amount of noise and flash generated by firing the weapon...
.22 pistols, then dismembered by Coonan, Sullivan, and Frankos. The body was then left in a meat locker in the basement of the house for a lengthy period of time, while debate raged as to how to dispose of it. It was later picked up by a fourth hitman, Joseph "Mad Dog" Sullivan (no relation to John Sullivan), who sealed the body in an
oil drumOil drum can refer to:* Drum , a cylindrical container used for transporting bulk goods such as oil and fuel* The Oil Drum, an energy discussion website...
and buried it underneath
Giants StadiumGiants Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. It primarily serves as the home stadium for the New York Giants and New York Jets American football teams of the NFL, and the New York Red Bulls soccer team of MLS...
.
Frank Sheeran
In July 2003, convicted killer Richard Powell told authorities that a briefcase containing a syringe used to subdue Hoffa was buried at a house in
Hampton Township, MichiganHampton Charter Township is a charter township of Bay County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The township's population was 9,902 as of the 2000 census and is included in the Bay City Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. The FBI searched the backyard of a home formerly frequented by
Frank SheeranFrank "The Irishman" Sheeran is a former labor union official who was accused of having links to organized crime and of being a hitman. He is one of several people believed to have been behind the killing of Jimmy Hoffa...
, who was a World War II veteran, Mafia hit man, truck driver, Teamsters official, and close friend of Hoffa's. Nothing significant was found.
In 2004,
Charles BrandtCharles Brandt, of Lewes, is a former chief deputy attorney general of Delaware and the author of I Heard You Paint Houses , a biography of Wilmington Teamsters official and mobster Frank Sheeran....
, a former prosecutor and chief deputy attorney general of Delaware, published the book
I Heard You Paint Houses. The title is based on a euphemistic exchange apparently used by hitmen and their would-be employers ("I heard you paint houses." "Yes, and I do my own carpentry, too"). House painting alludes to the incidental-to-homicide emplacement of blood spatter on walls; "doing my own carpentry," to the task of disposing of the body. Brandt recounted a series of confessions by Sheeran regarding Hoffa's murder, and claimed that Sheeran had begun contacting him because he wished to assuage feelings of guilt. Over the course of several years, he spoke many times by phone to Brandt (which Brandt recorded) during which he acknowledged his role as Hoffa's killer, acting on orders from the Mafia. He claimed to have used his friendship with Hoffa to lure him to a bogus meeting in Bloomfield Hills and drive him to a house in northwestern Detroit, where he shot him twice before fleeing and leaving Hoffa's body behind. An updated version of Brandt's book claims that Hoffa's body was cremated within an hour of Sheeran's departure.
In 2004, authorities in Detroit extracted floorboards from the northwest Detroit home where Sheeran said he had shot Hoffa. However, by February 2005, the Bloomfield Township Police said the
FBI Crime LabThe Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory generally enjoys the reputation as the premier crime lab in the United States. However, during the 1990s, its reputation and integrity came under withering criticism, primarily due to the revelations of Special Agent Dr. Frederic Whitehurst, the most...
reported that, while there had been male, human blood on the floorboards, the blood did not match Hoffa's. It was later revealed that the DNA had been destroyed when the wrong kind of
LuminolLuminol is a versatile chemical that exhibits chemiluminescence, with a striking blue glow, when mixed with an appropriate oxidizing agent...
was used to find the blood remnants.
Richard Kuklinski
In
Philip CarloPhilip Carlo is a journalist and best selling biographer of Richard Kuklinski, Anthony Casso, and Richard Ramirez.-Life:Philip Carlo was born in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York. Since an early age, he was involved in gang activity. When he was 14 years old, Jimmy Emma, a close friend of Carlo's,...
's book
The Ice Man, written about (and with the cooperation of) convicted contract killer
Richard KuklinskiRichard "The Iceman" Kuklinski was a convicted murderer and notorious contract killer who was of Polish and Irish ancestry. He worked for several Italian-American crime families, and claimed to have murdered over 200 men over a career that lasted 30 years; he killed his first victim at age 13...
, Kuklinski claimed that he played a large part in the disappearance of Hoffa. He said that he and three other men met Hoffa for lunch at the Machus Red Fox and, when Hoffa got in their van, Kuklinski knocked him out and then put a knife in his head. Kuklinski then took the body back to New Jersey, where it was buried in a 50 gallon gasoline drum. This drum was eventually compacted into a 4 by 2 block that was sent to Japan to be part of a car.
Events since 2006
On May 17, 2006, acting on a tip, the FBI searched a farm in
Milford Township, MichiganMilford Charter Township is a charter township of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 15,271 at the 2000 census. The Village of Milford is located within the township.-Geography:...
, for Hoffa's remains. Nothing was found.
On June 16, 2006, the
Detroit Free PressThe Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is titled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
published in its entirety the so-called Hoffex Memo, a 56-page report the FBI prepared for a January 1976 briefing on the case at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. The FBI has called the report the definitive account of what agents believe happened to Hoffa.
In November 2006
KLAS-TVKLAS-TV is the CBS station serving the Las Vegas, Nevada market. Its address is 3228 Channel 8 Drive. It is owned and operated by Landmark Communications. Its transmitter is located in Henderson....
Channel 8
Las VegasLas Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, fine dining, and entertainment. Las Vegas, which bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, is famous for the number of...
interviewed author
Charles BrandtCharles Brandt, of Lewes, is a former chief deputy attorney general of Delaware and the author of I Heard You Paint Houses , a biography of Wilmington Teamsters official and mobster Frank Sheeran....
about Hoffa's murder and disappearance. Brandt claims that Hoffa's body was taken from the murder scene and possibly driven two minutes away to the Grand Lawn Cemetery where he was cremated.
Film and Television
Portrayed by
Robert BlakeRobert Blake may refer to:*Bob Blake , Canadian professional ice hockey player*Robert Blake , English naval commander*Robert Blake , pioneering Irish dentist...
in the 1983 TV-film
Blood Feud"Blood Feud" is the twenty-second and final episode of The Simpsons
' second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on July 11, 1991. In the episode, Mr. Burns falls ill and desperately needs a blood transfusion...
,
Trey WilsonDonald Yearnsley Wilson III was an American character actor known for playing rural, authoritarian type characters, most notably in comedies such as Raising Arizona and Bull Durham.-Early life:...
in the 1985 television miniseries
Robert Kennedy & His TimesRobert Kennedy & His Times is a 1985 American television miniseries directed by Marvin J. Chomsky. The film was released in three parts and depicts the life of Robert F. Kennedy.-Cast:- Crew :-Awards and nominations:...
, and by
Jack NicholsonJohn Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director and producer. He is renowned for his often dark-themed portrayals of neurotic characters....
in the 1992 film
HoffaHoffa is a 1992 biographical film based on the life and mysterious death of Teamsters Union leader Jimmy Hoffa. Although it chronicles Hoffa's early years in Michigan to his leadership in New York City and Washington, D.C...
.
Further reading
- The Fall and Rise of Jimmy Hoffa is an account of Hoffa's trials in Tennessee. Author Walter Sheridan was a lawyer working for Robert Kennedy.
- The Hoffa Wars by investigative reporter Dan Moldea
Dan E. Moldea is a best-selling author and investigative journalist who has reported on organized crime and political corruption since 1974...
, which details Hoffa's rise to power.
- Contract Killer by William Hoffman
William Hoffman can refer to:* William Hoffman , American novelist* Bill Hoffman , American baseball player* Billy Hoffman , American hacker* Wilhelm Hoffman, German soldier in World War II* Bill Hoffman...
and Lake Headley, which attempts to examine Hoffa's murder in great detail.
- Hoffa! Ten Angels Swearing. An Authorized Biography by Jim Clay was published in 1965 and defends Hoffa's position in his own words.
See also
- List of people who have mysteriously disappeared
- The Mafia in America
- Hoffa
Hoffa is a 1992 biographical film based on the life and mysterious death of Teamsters Union leader Jimmy Hoffa. Although it chronicles Hoffa's early years in Michigan to his leadership in New York City and Washington, D.C...
(1992 film loosely based on Hoffa's life)