Teddy Brandt

Name: Teddy Brandt
Hometown: New York, New York, USA
Pro Boxer: Record

Bio

Ted ”Teddy” Brandt was a New York City boxer of the 1930s in the Lightweight Division who later became a prominent International Vice President of the Graphic Communications International Union during the mid part of the Twentieth Century. The “G.C.I.U” Labour Union, originally known as Amalgamated Lithographers Union when Brandt first joined in the early 1930s, eventually merged with various unions, such as the AFL-CIO, and finally, in 2004, with The Teamsters, to form the current union to date, which is now known as the Graphic Communications Conference. Brandt helped to develop the Graphics Union into an important union entity in the United States and the world because it covers all forms of printed news and media.

Born June 24, 1907, Teddy Brandt was the first born into a family of Jewish-Hungarian cigar rollers along with five other siblings: Sally, Bella, Rose, Manny and Murray (who was Murray Ozone Park Ghost” Brandt, the welterweight contender and New York City sensation during the 1930s). Together, Teddy and Murray fought in New York City as the “Battling Brandt Bros.” The two wore the Jewish “Star of David” on their boxing trunks to draw controversy from the local public during the era of the nationally publicized radio program “The Father Coughlin Radio Show” (who was anti-Semitic Catholic Priest), the Neo Nazi “German American Bund Party” who hated Jews, and of course, over in Europe, Adolph Hitler’s reign of terror against the Jews of Germany. Teddy acted as the brothers' manager and negotiated deals with various venue promoters.

As a child growing up, because of lack of income flowing into the one bedroom apartment where the Brandts lived, Ted Brandt was taken out of school by his mother and put into the workforce at age 13. His first job was a lunch boy (one who runs errands and sweeps the shop) in a large printing company where his affiliation with the printing industry had begun in the early 1900s. At age 15 years old, Brandt was promoted to stone boy (one who retrieves engraved flat stones for the printing pressman). Often the flat surfaced printing stones weighed in excess of 100 pounds, while Brandt weighed just ninety pounds. Doing this type of work on a daily basis allowed Teddy to gain a great deal of strength for his size and put on some muscular body weight. After three grueling years of lifting stones for a living and after gaining considerable confidence by joining the Army National Guard Reserve, Teddy Brandt sought to join Murray Brandt, and become a boxer. The two Brandt brothers had decided that Ted would manage the boxing contracts.

Ted had a short boxing career, but had done well with the “Sweet Science,” enjoying the sport greatly and attaining a winning record. But with his wife constantly worrying about him, Brandt had decided to retire from boxing in 1931, and began his apprenticeship as a Platemaker for a printing company. Brandt, however, could never really break away from the Sport of Boxing and continued to be involved in the fight game by acting as Murray Brandts’ personal advisor in conjunction with developing a youth boxing program in New York City. Ted’s youth boxing program was backed by the New York City Police Dept., starting in the mid 1930s, and was geared at getting troubled boys off the city streets. The New York City Police Youth Boxing Program was an active program through the time Brandt had left the State of New York in 1947 with his family.

Brandt’s strong ties with the printing trade in New York City allowed him to join the Amalgamated Lithographer’s Union after his retirement from pro boxing. He was welcomed by the Union because of his diligent work as a youth during the turn of the century. Brandt had soon demonstrated his prowess as a journeyman and was allowed the opportunity to become a key organizer and later president of the burgeoning Amalgamated Lithographers Union Local in Los Angeles, California. Brandt moved West with his wife Betty, son Donald, and daughter Audrey in the summer of 1947 to help develop a stronger union in Los Angeles County (where there were only two members). He chose the coastal town of Long Beach, California to reside, where his second son Robert was born.

By 1973, when Brandt had retired as International Vice President of the Graphic Communications International Union, (the Amalgamated Lithographer’s Union had merged over the years, to form a core union that had grown into many thousands of members and had become affiliated with the AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations). Brandt served as the International Vice President for the G.C.I.U. from 1959 to 1963, then again, in 1964, until he was finally defeated in 1972.

Upon retiring, Brandt moved with his wife Betty to Marina Del Rey, California, where he took up golf and remained a very loyal, active boxing fight fan, attending bouts at the Olympic Auditorium in downtown L.A. on Thursday nights, while continuing to follow televised bouts throughout the 1970s, '80s and '90s.