Michael Dukakis | |
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![]() Dukakis in 1988 | |
65th and 67th Governor of Massachusetts | |
In office January 6, 1983 – January 3, 1991 | |
Lieutenant | John Kerry Evelyn Murphy |
Preceded by | Edward J. King |
Succeeded by | Bill Weld |
In office January 2, 1975 – January 4, 1979 | |
Lieutenant | Thomas P. O'Neill III |
Preceded by | Francis W. Sargent |
Succeeded by | Edward J. King |
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | |
In office January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1971 | |
Preceded by | Sumner Z. Kaplan |
Succeeded by | Jon Rotenberg |
Constituency | 10th Norfolk (1963–1965) 13th Norfolk (1965–1971) |
Personal details | |
Born | Michael Stanley Dukakis November 3, 1933 Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | |
Children | 4, including John |
Relatives | Olympia Dukakis (cousin) |
Education | Swarthmore College (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
Awards | Grand Commander of the Order of Honor[1] |
Signature | ![]() |
Military service | |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Years of service | 1955–1957 |
Rank | Specialist |
Unit | 8020th Administrative Unit[2] |
Battles/wars | Korean 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 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 Greek American presidential candidate, and the first major-party nominee with ancestry outside Europe.[a] 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 major party presidential candidate who was never elected president.
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