Mark Bennett: As historical marker subjects go, Jimmy Hoffa indeed made history

Tribune-Star columnist Mark Bennett

One side of the Jimmy Hoffa historical marker.

History shouldn’t be airbrushed. And it shouldn’t be ignored.

One of America’s most significant labor activists was born and raised in Brazil, Indiana.

On Tuesday, a historical marker will be dedicated in that Clay County town of 8,154 residents commemorating Jimmy Hoffa.

One side of the Jimmy Hoffa historical marker.

The metal sign — just the fourth in Clay County through the Indiana Historical Marker Program — highlights Hoffa’s accomplishments, but also mentions his rough edges. Historical figures often involve both.

The marker, already standing on the northeast corner of National Avenue and Indiana 59 in Brazil, cites Hoffa’s birth in the city on Valentine’s Day 1913, his family’s poverty during his childhood, his rise through the Depression as a labor activist, his leadership of the Teamsters union, his crafting of a nationwide trucking contract to boost wages for 400,000 workers, and his fight against discrimination, poverty and labor problems. Teamsters membership grew to 2 million under Hoffa’s term as the union’s general president.

Also plainly cited are numerous investigations of Hoffa, his conviction for jury tampering in 1964 and his infamous disappearance in 1975.

It’s all part of a history rooted in Clay County.

“There’s been so much that’s been written about Hoffa, and so much of the interest has centered around his disappearance, and we didn’t want to sensationalize it,” said Casey Pfeiffer, director of the Indiana Historical Marker Program.

That detail about a controversial public figure needed to be included, nonetheless.

“If we didn’t put that on the marker, people would say, ‘Is this the same Hoffa we’re thinking about?’” Pfeiffer said.

Since 2018, a group of Clay County residents, historians and Hoffa relatives have worked on the project and necessary steps for the Indiana Historical Marker Program, said Dave Crooks, a Brazil resident who operates DLC Media radio stations in the city and elsewhere. Production on the marker stalled during the pandemic, he added, but the process restarted last year. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters donated funds for its completion.

A dedication ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday at the corner of National Avenue (also known as U.S. 40 and the National Road) and Indiana 59. It’s open to the public. Parking is available at the nearby Clay County Historical Museum, which will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and offering free refreshments.

Hoffa’s son, James, and other family members, as well as the local marker committee members and historians will speak briefly.

The marker fills a void in the community’s historical landscape.

Jimmy Hoffa, who was born in Brazil, is the subject of a new historical marker in his Clay County hometown through the Indiana Historical Marker Program.

“There was never anything that pointed out that Jimmy Hoffa was born here,” Crooks said.

In fact, few people realize Hoffa was born in Brazil and lived in three different houses. Hoffa was particularly fond of the home on East Church Street, now occupied by the present-day Hardee’s restaurant parking lot, said Robert Hostetler, Brazil’s city historian and assistant Clay County historian. Jimmy was just 7 years old when his father, John Hoffa, who worked for a coal prospector, died at age 38. Jimmy’s mother Viola raised the children, cleaning houses and cooking to make ends meet. The family soon moved to Clinton, where Viola ran a laundry service, and young Jimmy picked up dirty clothes and delivered them cleaned, according to Tribune-Star archives.

Eventually, the Hoffas moved to Detroit, where the automaker economy was booming. That’s also where Hoffa’s labor career began and grew.

His backstory’s starting point isn’t well known.

“When we tell people Jimmy Hoffa’s from [Brazil, Indiana], there’s an element of surprise,” Pfeiffer said.

Hoffa remains a complex figure. Through his role as Teamsters leader, Hoffa also maintained a commitment to civil rights. Historical accounts also explain Hoffa had connections to organized crime. His conviction for jury tampering, fraud and attempted bribery in 1964 was followed by nearly five years of imprisonment in Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary in Pennsylvania. President Nixon commuted Hoffa’s sentence and released him in 1971.

Four years later, Hoffa disappeared from a restaurant parking lot in Bloomfield, Michigan, on July 30, 1975. He was declared legally dead in 1982. Speculation continues decades later over who was responsible for Hoffa’s death and what happened to the body. His remains have never been found, despite numerous excavations and searches.

“It’s funny, we know where Hoffa started out, but we don’t know where he ended up,” said Hostetler, who’s researched Hoffa extensively as Brazil’s historian. He called Hoffa’s disappearance “one of the great American mysteries.”

History is “a passion” for Hostetler. He pointed out other notables with Brazil connections who are unheard of by the general public. Those include Brazil native Charles B. Hall, the first African American pilot from the famed Tuskegee Airmen to shoot down an enemy aircraft during World War II. And, there’s Ivan Fuqua, a Brazil High School grad who won an Olympic gold medal as a sprinter and brought friend Jesse Owens to Brazil for a visit.

“There’s all types of stories — they’re just common people that did amazing things,” Hostetler said. “We want to keep those stories alive, and Jimmy Hoffa’s one of them.”

Hostetler, Pfeiffer and Crooks acknowledged the thorny elements of Hoffa. With just a few words to summarize a complex life, the historical marker balances his flaws with his virtues, which included Hoffa’s commitment to bettering the working lives of “the common man” through improved wages and benefits for truckers. His children and grandchildren also pursued careers to serve average Americans, Hostetler said. “It’s like it’s in their DNA,” Hostetler said.

Hoffa also remembered his hometown. Whenever he returned to Brazil, Hoffa tipped restaurant staffs well, Hostetler explained. Hoffa also donated money for a birthing room at Clay County’s hospital, where a plaque noted his contribution.

“That makes me feel better about him,” Hostetler said, “because he never forgot about Clay County.”

Mark Bennett can be reached at 812-231-4377 or [email protected].

Tribune-Star columnist Mark Bennett

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