James Hodgson was born December 3, 1915, in Dawson, Minnesota, and served in the U.S. Navy in WWII. Hodgson spent his career in industrial relations, culminating in his appointment as vice president of industrial relations for Lockheed Corporation. Appointed by President Nixon to the cabinet, he served as secretary of labor from 1970 to 1972 and as U.S. ambassador to Japan from 1974 to 1977.