Michael Dukakis Fast Facts
CNN Editorial Research
Here’s a look at the life of Michael Dukakis, three-term governor of Massachusetts.
Personal
Birth date: November 3, 1933
Birth place: Brookline, Massachusetts
Birth name: Michael Stanley Dukakis
Father: Panos Dukakis, an obstetrician
Mother: Euterpe (Boukis) Dukakis, a teacher
Marriage: Katharine “Kitty” (Dickson) Dukakis (June 20, 1963-present)
Children: Kara,1968; Andrea, 1965; Adopted: John, 1958, Kitty’s son from her first marriage
Education: Swarthmore College, Political Science, B.A., 1955; Harvard University, J.D., 1960
Military service: US Army, 1955-1957, Specialist Third Class
Religion: Greek Orthodox
Other Facts
First Greek-American to run for president.
His first cousin was Oscar-winning actress Olympia Dukakis.
As a high school senior, he ran the Boston Marathon.
Michael and Kitty Dukakis’ first child, a daughter, was born anencephalic in 1964 and died shortly after birth.
Timeline
October 1960 – Joins the Boston law firm Hill & Barlow as an associate.
November 6, 1962 – Dukakis is elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
1966 – Unsuccessful bid for Massachusetts attorney general.
1970 – Loses race for lieutenant governor.
1970 – Becomes a partner of Hill & Barlow.
October 1, 1973 – Announces candidacy for Massachusetts governor.
November 5, 1974 – Defeats incumbent Francis Sargent in the gubernatorial election.
January 2, 1975-January 4, 1979 – 65th Governor of Massachusetts.
September 19, 1978 – Loses the Democratic gubernatorial primary to Edward King, who goes on to win the general election.
1979-1982 – Dukakis teaches at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
January 1980 – His book,”State and Cities: The Massachusetts Experience,” is published.
January 1982 – Announces his campaign to take back his job as the governor of Massachusetts.
November 2, 1982 – Defeats John Sears in the gubernatorial election, with 60% of the vote.
January 6, 1983-1991 – Governor of Massachusetts.
June 1986 – His book, “Revenue Enforcement, Tax Amnesty and the Federal Deficit,” is published.
November 4, 1986 – Wins a third term as governor, defeating George Kariotis 69% to 31%.
April 29, 1987 – Formally declares his candidacy for president of the United States.
February 1988 – His book, “Creating the Future: The Massachusetts Comeback and its Promise for America,” with Rosabeth Kanter is published.
June 1988 – During the campaign, George H. W. Bush, the Republican nominee for president, paints Dukakis as soft on crime because of an incident involving Massachusetts’s weekend furlough program for prisoners. Inmate Willie Horton failed to return and later terrorized a Maryland couple before being captured.
July 12, 1988 – Names Senator Lloyd Bentsen (D-TX) as his running mate.
July 20, 1988 – Receives the nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta.
October 13, 1988 – In the second presidential debate, moderator Bernard Shaw asks Dukakis if he would favor the death penalty if his wife, Kitty, was raped and murdered. Dukakis says no in an answer that many considered emotionless.
November 8, 1988 – Loses the election to Bush by roughly seven million votes, earning 111 electoral votes in the Electoral College to Bush’s 426.
1991-present – Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Northeastern University in Boston.
1991-2022 – Visiting professor at the Luskin School of Public Affairs at UCLA.
2000 – His book, “How to Get Into Politics and Why: A Reader,” with Paul Simon is published.
April 27, 2007 – Is awarded the city’s Medal of Honor in Athens, Greece.
July 7, 2008 – Is quoted in the Boston Herald as saying that the country should get rid of the Electoral College and elect presidents through a popular vote.
July 9, 2010 – “Leader-Managers in the Public Sector: Managing for Results,” with John H. Portz is published.
October 16, 2014 – Testifies for the defense in the trial of Robel Phillipos, a friend of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing. Phillipos is charged with lying to the FBI during its investigation.
November 13, 2016 – Dukakis again calls for an end to the Electoral College, Politico reports. Hillary Clinton’s loss to Donald Trump in the presidential election is because of “an anachronistic Electoral College system which should have been abolished 150 years ago.”
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