Jimmy Hoffa was born in Brazil, Indiana in 1913. His family struggled with poverty, inspiring him to become an organized labor leader during the Great Depression. He became active in the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in the 1930s and served as General President, 1957-71. In 1964, he forged a national trucking agreement, raising wages for over 400,000 workers. As General President, Hoffa opposed discrimination, supported efforts to reduce poverty, and organized a political action committee for Teamsters' families to lobby for labor issues. Under his leadership, Teamsters membership rose to over two million workers. Hoffa was the subject of many investigations and was convicted of jury tampering in 1964. He disappeared in 1975.