James P. Hoffa

James P. Hoffa
James P. Hoffa (Jim Wallace, 1998)
Born	James Phillip Hoffa (1941-05-19) May 19, 1941 (age 75) Detroit, Michigan, United States
Alma mater	Michigan State University University of Michigan
Occupation	Attorney, union leader
Title	President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Spouse(s)	Virginia Hoffa
Children	David Hoffa Geoffrey Hoffa
Parent(s)	Jimmy Hoffa Josephine (Poszywak) Hoffa
Relatives	Barbara Ann Crancer (sister)

James Phillip Hoffa (born May 19, 1941) is an attorney and labor leader and the General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Hoffa was first elected during December 1998 and took office on March 19, 1999. He was subsequently re-elected in 2001, 2006 and 2011 to five-year terms.

Hoffa is the only son of Jimmy Hoffa, who was also a president of the Teamsters, and his wife Josephine (née Poszywak). He is the brother of Judge Barbara Ann Crancer. Hoffa has a wife, Virginia, and two sons, David and Geoffrey.

Born in Detroit, Michigan on May 19, 1941, Hoffa attended Cooley High School. There, he became a member of the National Honor Society, and an all-city and all-state football player. During the summer months, the Hoffa family visited their cottage in rural Orion Township outside Detroit.

Hoffa often accompanied his father to Teamster meetings and events, and became a Teamster in 1959 on his 18th birthday. Hoffa holds a degree in economics from Michigan State University (1963) and a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School (1966). Hoffa was awarded a Ford Foundation Fellowship to work in the Michigan State Senate as an aide to senate and house members doing constituent relations and research. Hoffa is a member of Alpha Tau Omega. He was an attorney for the Teamsters from 1968 to 1993.

Hoffa campaigned against the Teamsters incumbent president, Ron Carey, at the Teamsters international convention of June 1996 in Philadelphia. After nearly 500,000 votes were cast in early November, 1996, Ron Carey had won the election with 52 percent of the vote. At the time Carey characterized the victory as one for "reformers in the American labor movement."