Michael Dukakis Recordings

He was born a first generation American to Greek immigrants in Brookline, Massachusetts in 1933, and Michael Dukakis would prove that the American dream could be achieved by anyone willing to work for it.  As a student in high school, Dukakis would be an honor student as well as participating in basketball, baseball, tennis, and cross-country track.  When he was a senior in high school he ran in the Boston Marathon.  After graduating from Swathmore College in 1955, Dukakis put law school off to enlist in the army.  After his basic training he was assigned to the 802nd as a radio operator  in an administrative unit in Munsan, South Korea.  After the service he would attend Harvard Law School earning his juris doctorate in 1960.

Dukakis would enter Massachusetts politics in 1962 running for and winning a seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.  He ran unsuccessfully for Massachusetts Attorney General in 1966, and in 1970 lost his bid to become Massachusetts’ lieutenant governor.  He would make a comeback in 1974 defeating Francis Sargent to become governor.  Having run on not raising taxes, a 1988 promise that would haunt his challenger for the presidency, George HW Bush in 1992, Dukakis raised taxes.  He also pledged to dismantle the Metropolitan District Commission, but due to many friends in the state legislature, it was not dismantled and the MDC would withhold critical backing of Governor Dukakis in the 1978 Gubernatorial Primary.  Because of his less than stellar performance as governor, Michael Dukakis was denied re-nomination as the Democratic Party candidate for governor.  Dukakis along with his running mate, John Kerry made a comeback in 1982 after having made peace with the state Democratic Party.  He would earn a reputation as a technocrat thanks to the technology boom in Massachusetts under Dukakis’ watch.  In 1986, the National Governor Association voted Dukakis the most effective governor in the United States.

Michael Dukakis ran for the Democratic Presidential Nomination for the Presidential Election of 1988.  At first, it seemed as though Gary Hart would be the Nominee, but due to the scandal with Donna Rice, the Hart campaign was over, back on again, and finally over again.  Jesse Jackson and Al Gore held in the Democratic Primaries longest, but by June 1988, it was clear that Michael Dukakis was going to be the Democratic Nominee against George HW Bush.  In the end, the Dukakis/Bentsen ticket lost to the Bush/Quayle ticket.

After the election, Dukakis finished out his term as governor.  He went on to teach at Northwestern and was on the board of Amtrak.  He supported Elizabeth Warren for President and is now living a life of retirement today.