Michael Dukakis

Michael Dukakis
Dukakis in 1988
65th and 67th Governor of Massachusetts
In office
January 6, 1983 – January 3, 1991
LieutenantJohn Kerry
Evelyn Murphy
Preceded byEdward J. King
Succeeded byBill Weld
In office
January 2, 1975 – January 4, 1979
LieutenantThomas P. O'Neill III
Preceded byFrancis W. Sargent
Succeeded byEdward J. King
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
In office
January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1971
Preceded bySumner Z. Kaplan
Succeeded byJon Rotenberg
Constituency10th Norfolk (1963–1965)
13th Norfolk (1965–1971)
Personal details
Born
Michael Stanley Dukakis

(1933-11-03) November 3, 1933 (age 90)
Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
(m. 1963)
Children4, including John
RelativesOlympia Dukakis (cousin)
EducationSwarthmore College (BA)
Harvard University (JD)
AwardsGrand Commander of the Order of Honor[1]
Signature
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1955–1957
RankSpecialist
Unit8020th Administrative Unit[2]
Battles/warsKorean War
Preview warning: Page using Template:Listen with empty filename #1

Michael Stanley Dukakis (/dʊˈkɑːkɪs/ duu-KAH-kiss; born November 3, 1933) is an American retired lawyer and politician who served as governor of Massachusetts from 1975 to 1979 and again from 1983 to 1991. He is the longest-serving governor in Massachusetts history and only the second Greek-American governor in U.S. history, after Spiro Agnew. He was nominated by the Democratic Party for president in the 1988 election, losing to the Republican nominee, Vice President George H. W. Bush.

Born in Brookline, Massachusetts, to Greek immigrants, Dukakis attended Swarthmore College before enlisting in the United States Army. After graduating from Harvard Law School, he won election to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, serving from 1963 to 1971. He won the 1974 Massachusetts gubernatorial election but lost his 1978 bid for re-nomination to Edward J. King. He defeated King in the 1982 gubernatorial primary and served as governor from 1983 to 1991, presiding over a period of economic growth known as the "Massachusetts Miracle".

Building on his popularity as governor, Dukakis sought the Democratic presidential nomination for the 1988 presidential election. He prevailed in the Democratic primaries and was formally nominated at the 1988 Democratic National Convention. Dukakis chose Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas as his running mate, while the Republicans nominated a ticket of George H. W. Bush and Senator Dan Quayle. Dukakis made history as the first person with ancestry from outside Western or Northern Europe nominated for president by a major party and was the only one until President Obama's nomination in 2008. He was the first Greek Orthodox presidential nominee for a major political party.[3] Although he lost the election, carrying only ten states and Washington, D.C., he improved on the Democratic performances in the previous two elections. After the election, Dukakis announced that he would not seek another term as governor, and he left office in 1991.

Since leaving office, Dukakis has served on the board of directors for Amtrak and taught political science at Northeastern University and UCLA. He was mentioned as a potential appointee to the Senate in 2009 to fill the vacancy caused by Ted Kennedy's death, but Governor Deval Patrick chose Paul G. Kirk. In 2012, Dukakis backed the successful Senate campaign of Elizabeth Warren, whom he also supported in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries. Since the death of Bob Dole on December 5, 2021, Dukakis is the oldest living losing major party presidential candidate.

  1. ^ Kokkinidis, Tasos (October 26, 2020). "Greece Honors Former Presidential Candidate Michael Dukakis". Greek Reporter. Archived from the original on July 31, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  2. ^ Shanker, Thom; A member of the Tribune's Washington bureau (October 9, 1988). "While Seeking Higher Rank, Dukakis Keeps Military Brass at Parade Rest". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Sessions Stepp, Laura (November 3, 1988). "NOMINEES' UPBRINGING AND THEIR FAITH: DUKAKIS TAKES SOME STEPS AWAY FROM STRICT ORTHODOX BELIEFS". The Washington Post.