John Francis English (April 14, 1889 – February 3, 1969) was an American

labor union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

official. A member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), he was appointed as its Secretary-Treasurer by union president Daniel J. Tobin in 1946, and was re-elected to this post at every subsequent Teamsters convention until his death in February 1969 at the age of 80. The organisation itself described English as the "greatest Secretary-Treasurer" it had encountered. In 1957, English was elected as a vice-president of the AFL-CIO. However, he lost the seat shortly after, when the Teamsters were expelled from the federation. English was noted for being a Teamsters official who maintained a reputation for integrity, and who had openly opposed union president Dave Beck but he also vocally defended Beck's successor,

Jimmy Hoffa James Riddle Hoffa (born February 14, 1913 – disappeared July 30, 1975; declared dead July 30, 1982) was an American labor union leader who served as the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) from 1957 until 1971. F ...

, and other Teamsters officials who faced accusations of corruption.

Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, a ...

, in his 1960 book about union corruption, ''The Enemy Within'', noted that "no question has ever been raised about John English's integrity" but also described his disappointment after English praised Hoffa at the 1957 Teamsters convention.

References

1889 births 1969 deaths Trade unionists from Massachusetts People from Boston People from Miami International Brotherhood of Teamsters people Vice presidents of the AFL–CIO {{US-bio-stub