Frank E. Fitzsimmons, Teamsters union chief

Teamsters union president Frank E. Fitzsimmons, who passed on Wednesday, rose from a truckingdock worker in Detroit to lead the nation's largest labor union. He took over reins of the 2.3 million-member union in March 1967 when former Teamsters leader James Hoffa was imprisoned after his conviction on charges of union fraud and jury tampering. Four years later he was formally elected president when Hoffa's bid for early parole failed, and was reelected in 1976.