Go to: The Steward
The history of IBT general presidents:
Researched by Jon Anderson

In August 1903 a meeting was held at Niagara Falls, New York to bring
various Teamster Unions together, and Daniel Tobin attended representing
Teamsters in Boston Local 25.  It was at that meeting that the
International Brotherhood of Teamsters was founded and Cornelius 'Con' Shea
was elected its first general president.

The 1907 Teamster convention was held in Boston.  The delegates succeeded
in ousting Shea and elected Daniel J. Tobin (president of Boston Joint
Council 10) as general president by only a twelve vote margin.

1952  convention Tobin declines to run.  Dave Beck elected general
president.  Tobin elected to newly created position of president emeritus
and receives salary of $50,000 to do nothing.  General president's salary
raised from $30,000 to $50,000.

1957 Beck sentenced to five years in federal prison.

1957 convention Hoffa elected general president.

1964  Hoffa sentenced to eight years in prison.  Appeals last three years
and go all the way to U.S. Supreme Court.

1967  March;  Hoffa enters Lewisburg penitentiary.

1967 (?)  Frank Fitzsimmons general president

1981  May 6  Fitzsimmons dies of lung cancer before he can be sent to
prison.  About one week later, General Executive Board elects Roy Williams
interim general president.

Less than two weeks after Roy Williams elected interim general president,
he is indicted for conspiracy to bribe Nevada Senator Howard Cannon in
order to stop passage of the trucking deregulation bill.

1982  December  Roy Williams convicted of attempted bribery of a U.S. Senator.

1983  Mid-April   Roy Williams resigns as general president in exchange for
remaining free on bail while awaiting appeals.

1983  21 April   Jackie Presser was chosen by the General Executive Board
to serve as general president.

1985  13 October   Roy Williams agreed to cooperate with the federal
investigation of the relations between organized crime and the union in
exchange for a 45-day delay of his date to report to prison.  Two weeks
later Williams gives spectacular testimony confirming that the mafia
controlled the Teamster leadership.

1986  Mid-May   Jackie Presser indicted on charges ranging from
racketeering to embezzling $700,000 in a ghost employee scam.  Released on
$50,000 bond and continues as general president.

1986  November  Anthony 'Fat Tony' Salerno, convicted boss of the Genovese
crime family, and his associates Milton Rockman, John 'Peanuts' Tronolone
and Vincent Cararo were charged with arranging the election of Jackie
Presser to the office of general president of the Teamsters Union, and with
influencing Presser's decisions about union business and about management
of pension and welfare funds.

1986  November   The Department of Justice indicated that it would file a
civil suit against the Teamsters under the Racheteer-Influenced and Corrupt
Organizations Act to remove the General Executive Board of the IBT.

1988  May 4   Jackie Presser takes leave of absence and Weldon Mathis, in
accordance with the union's constitution, becomes acting general president.

Because of poor health, Presser never came to trial on the charges of labor
racketeering, and he died in July 1988 of a heart attack during surgery.

1988  July 5  General Executive Board chooses William J. McCarthy over
Weldon Mathis to serve as general president.  (vote: 9-8)

1989  March 13   U.S. Department of Justice and the Teamsters Union reach
agreement to settle RICO suit.   The Wall Street Journal of March 14, 1989
reported the agreement, "influenced by the concerns and platform...of the
Teamsters for a Democratic Union" provided for the direct election of all
convention delegates and the union's International officers in 1991.

1991  Ron Carey elected by Teamsters rank and file as general president.

1996  Ron Carey re-elected general president.

1997  Election overturned.

1997  November    Ron Carey barred from running for re-election for
allegations of campaign funding swap deal.

1998    ????????

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