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Photos: The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa

Updated 1:02 PM ET, Fri August 1, 2014

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Nearly 40 years after his disappearance, former Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa, pictured circa 1955, remains among America's most famous missing persons. Authorities have been searching for the once powerful union boss since he vanished in 1975.
Photos: Photos: The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa
The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa – Nearly 40 years after his disappearance, former Teamsters boss Jimmy Hoffa, pictured circa 1955, remains among America's most famous missing persons. Authorities have been searching for the once powerful union boss since he vanished in 1975.
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Hoffa slumps in a chair at the Teamsters union office. He was one of the most powerful union leaders in America until being forced out of the organized labor movement. He went to prison in 1967 for jury tampering and fraud before being pardoned four years later.
Photos: Photos: The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa
The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa – Hoffa slumps in a chair at the Teamsters union office. He was one of the most powerful union leaders in America until being forced out of the organized labor movement. He went to prison in 1967 for jury tampering and fraud before being pardoned four years later.
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Hoffa appears at the Teamsters union convention in 1957, the year he first became union president.
Photos: Photos: The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa
The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa – Hoffa appears at the Teamsters union convention in 1957, the year he first became union president.
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Hoffa, center, stands with other officials at the Teamsters convention, where he made a successful bid for control of the union in 1957.
Photos: Photos: The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa
The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa – Hoffa, center, stands with other officials at the Teamsters convention, where he made a successful bid for control of the union in 1957.
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Hoffa testifies at a Senate Rackets Committee hearing in 1958.
Photos: Photos: The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa
The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa – Hoffa testifies at a Senate Rackets Committee hearing in 1958.
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Hoffa on the phone at an airport in 1959.
Photos: Photos: The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa
The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa – Hoffa on the phone at an airport in 1959.
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An office for Teamsters union local chapters that Hoffa set up.
Photos: Photos: The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa
The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa – An office for Teamsters union local chapters that Hoffa set up.
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Hoffa eats with union leader Joseph Curran, left, in 1959.
Photos: Photos: The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa
The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa – Hoffa eats with union leader Joseph Curran, left, in 1959.
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Hoffa holds a Teamsters rally at Madison Square Garden in New York in 1960.
Photos: Photos: The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa
The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa – Hoffa holds a Teamsters rally at Madison Square Garden in New York in 1960.
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Hoffa leads supporters at a Teamsters convention in 1959.
Photos: Photos: The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa
The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa – Hoffa leads supporters at a Teamsters convention in 1959.
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The Teamsters boss appears on the cover of Life magazine on May 18, 1959. The headline reads, "A National Threat: Hoffa's Teamsters; Part 1: Sources of a Union's Uncurbed Power."
Photos: Photos: The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa
The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa – The Teamsters boss appears on the cover of Life magazine on May 18, 1959. The headline reads, "A National Threat: Hoffa's Teamsters; Part 1: Sources of a Union's Uncurbed Power."
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Hoffa, pictured circa 1960, was a powerful labor leader at a time when unions wielded a great deal of sway over elections and were notoriously tied to organized crime.
Photos: Photos: The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa
The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa – Hoffa, pictured circa 1960, was a powerful labor leader at a time when unions wielded a great deal of sway over elections and were notoriously tied to organized crime.
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From left, "Meet the Press" moderator Ned Brooks, Lawrence K. Spivak and Hoffa appear at an NBC studio.
Photos: Photos: The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa
The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa – From left, "Meet the Press" moderator Ned Brooks, Lawrence K. Spivak and Hoffa appear at an NBC studio.
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Hoffa and his son, James Phillip, enter a federal courtroom in July 1964. His son is the current president of the Teamsters.
Photos: Photos: The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa
The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa – Hoffa and his son, James Phillip, enter a federal courtroom in July 1964. His son is the current president of the Teamsters.
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Hoffa, second row, center, leaves court after being found guilty of jury tampering in 1964.
Photos: Photos: The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa
The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa – Hoffa, second row, center, leaves court after being found guilty of jury tampering in 1964.
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Hoffa at the Pittsburgh airport in 1971 on his way back to federal prison after being let out to visit his ailing wife. He was released from prison later that year on the condition he not resume union activity before 1980.
Photos: Photos: The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa
The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa – Hoffa at the Pittsburgh airport in 1971 on his way back to federal prison after being let out to visit his ailing wife. He was released from prison later that year on the condition he not resume union activity before 1980.
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Hoffa poses for a picture on July 24, 1975, less than a week before his disappearance. He was 62 at the time.
Photos: Photos: The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa
The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa – Hoffa poses for a picture on July 24, 1975, less than a week before his disappearance. He was 62 at the time.
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A Bloomfield Township, Michigan, police officer stands beside Hoffa's car after the former labor leader's disappearance in July 1975. Hoffa was last seen at a restaurant in suburban Detroit on July 30, 1975.
Photos: Photos: The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa
The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa – A Bloomfield Township, Michigan, police officer stands beside Hoffa's car after the former labor leader's disappearance in July 1975. Hoffa was last seen at a restaurant in suburban Detroit on July 30, 1975.
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Police sweep a field in Waterford Township, Michigan, in search of Hoffa's body in July 1975.
Photos: Photos: The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa
The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa – Police sweep a field in Waterford Township, Michigan, in search of Hoffa's body in July 1975.
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Demolition workers tear down a horse barn for the FBI in 2006 in a search for Hoffa's remains in Milford, Michigan. <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/05/17/hoffa.search/index.html">The FBI had received a tip</a> that Hoffa was buried on the farm.
Photos: Photos: The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa
The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa – Demolition workers tear down a horse barn for the FBI in 2006 in a search for Hoffa's remains in Milford, Michigan. The FBI had received a tip that Hoffa was buried on the farm.
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FBI agents search a field for Hoffa's remains on Monday, June 17, 2013, in Oakland Township, Michigan, outside Detroit. Alleged mobster Tony Zerilli tipped off the police, and a source close to the case said the information provided was "highly credible."
Photos: Photos: The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa
The mystery of Jimmy Hoffa – FBI agents search a field for Hoffa's remains on Monday, June 17, 2013, in Oakland Township, Michigan, outside Detroit. Alleged mobster Tony Zerilli tipped off the police, and a source close to the case said the information provided was "highly credible."
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