Harold Chamberlain "Hal" Banks (February 28, 1909 – September 24, 1985) was an American

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

leader in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. An

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

from

Waterloo, Iowa Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 United States census the population was 67,314, making it the List of cities in Iowa, eighth-most populous city in the st ...

. Banks had mob connections prior to arriving in Canada in 1949. His mission was to help bust the purportedly

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

-controlled Canadian Seaman's Union and establish the

Seafarers International Union The Seafarers International Union or SIU is an organization of 12 autonomous trade union, labor unions of sailor, mariners, fishermen and boatmen working aboard vessels flagged in the United States or Canada. Michael Sacco was its president fro ...

as their replacement. He remained in Canada until 1964, when he returned to the United States rather than face criminal charges stemming from a physical assault on a rival union leader. The Pearson government took control of the union and pressed charges against him. The Canadian government filed an extradition request, which was refused by U.S. President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

. At the time, a

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, ploy, or scheme, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder, treason, or corruption, especially with a political motivat ...

was alleged that the Canadian government purposefully allowed Banks to escape and only charged him in offences that would not qualify him for extradition from the United States. It almost caused the fall of the Liberal government in Parliament. A news team found him living in a yacht in New York City. In 1985, Canadian

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

filmmaker

Donald Brittain Donald Code Brittain, (June 10, 1928 – July 21, 1989) was a film director and producer with the National Film Board of Canada. Career '' Fields of Sacrifice'' (1964) is considered Brittain's first major film as director. His other notable ...

made a film about Banks, '' Canada's Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. Banks''.Canada's Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. Banks - NFB - Collection
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Maury Chaykin Maury Alan Chaykin (July 27, 1949 – July 27, 2010) was an American-Canadian actor. Described as "one of the most recognizable faces in Canadian cinema," he was best known for his portrayal of Rex Stout's detective Nero Wolfe on the televi ...

played Banks in historical reenactments. A 1988 book by Canadian author Peter Edwards, ''Waterfront Warlord'" corrected several errors in the film, including the implication that Banks had his nemesis John Droeger killed.

Notes

1909 births 1985 deaths Canadian trade unionists Trade unionists from Iowa People from Waterloo, Iowa American expatriates in Canada {{Shipping-bio-stub

See also

Notes