He was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, the son of Anna (Stocker) and Valentine Reuther,[1] a socialist brewery worker who had immigrated from Germany.

Subsequently, he then joined Walter on an extended trip to Europe and Asia, when the brothers worked in the Gorky Automotive Plant.

[2] The Reuthers were eventually blacklisted and expelled from the Soviet Union after leading a strike, demanding safer working conditions.

Reuther lent his support and leadership to the 1936 General Motors Strike where he faced down the billy clubs and tear gas of the violent pro-company police.

The strike was eventually settled in February 1937, with many gains for the workers, but Victor had to leave town with his wife, Sophie (the union's first female organizer), to evade a warrant that had been issued for his arrest by a GM-owned judge.

He and Sophie ended up in Anderson, Indiana, to support another strike taking place there and another battle against thugs, corrupt police, and public officials "in the pocket" of the corporations that were determined to wipe the union out.

Reuther went to Washington, D.C., and informed the Roosevelt (New Deal) Democrats of the idle machinery and infrastructure that could be turned over to military production, and subsequently there were much stricter controls on how, when, and where government allocations to private corporations could be spent.

The next evening, while he was reading a newspaper, a shotgun-wielding assassin fired at him through a closed window, hitting Reuther in the face and upper body.

One neighbor offered descriptions of the shooter to police, but he was rejected and began receiving anonymous phone calls telling him to shut up.

Materials include personal papers, such as correspondence and notes, as well as administrative files relating to his activities in various UAW departments.