Katherine “Kitty” Dukakis, spouse of former Massachusetts governor and 1988 Democratic Social gathering nominee for president Michael Dukakis, has died. She was 88.
A lifelong resident of Massachusetts, Kitty Dukakis served as first woman of the commonwealth throughout her husband’s three non-consecutive phrases, from 1975 to 1979 and once more from 1983 to 1991.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey mentioned she is “saddened to hear about the passing of Kitty Dukakis, who was a force for good in public life and behind the scenes.
“She was a strong advocate for children, women and refugees, while also taking a leadership role in ensuring that the horrors of the Holocaust are never forgotten. She spoke courageously about her struggles with substance use disorder and mental health, which serves as an inspiration to us all to break down stigma and seek help,” Healey continued. “My heart is with Governor Dukakis and their loved ones during this difficult time.”
Michael Dukakis introduced his marketing campaign in Boston in March 1987 and was chosen because the Democratic nominee for president on the occasion’s conference in Atlanta in the summertime of the next 12 months. Michael Dukakis would find yourself shedding the race to then-Vice President George H. W. Bush.
Kitty Dukakis labored for quite a few necessary points, together with ladies’s rights, human rights, and the atmosphere.
She was a founding member of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum after having been appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the President’s Fee on the Holocaust. She has additionally served on the board of administrators of the Refugee Coverage Group and Refugees Worldwide, in line with a biography of her posted on Northeastern College’s Dukakis Heart for City and Regional Coverage web site.
She was additionally lively domestically, having been director from 1985 to 1989 of Program on Public Area Partnerships, a joint program between the John F. Kennedy Faculty of Authorities and the Graduate Faculty of Design at Harvard College.
Kitty Dukakis additionally struggled with dependancy and got here clear along with her story within the 1990 autobiography Now You Know, written with Jane Scovell.
State Democratic Social gathering chairman Steve Kerrigan mentioned that Kitty Dukakis “made our Commonwealth — and our world — a better place.”
“Kitty Dukakis used her role as first lady of the Commonwealth to champion refugees and the homeless, promote greater awareness of the Holocaust, and advocate for placing more women in leadership roles within state government,” Kerrigan’s assertion continued.
“Yet, it was her courage in publicly sharing her struggles with depression and substance use disorder that truly defined her strength. Her honesty and bravery helped break down stigma, inspiring countless others to seek support and begin their own journeys of recovery.”
It is a growing story.
Herald file picture
Kitty and Michael Dukakis photographed in 1984. (Herald file picture)
Herald file picture
Massachusetts Senate President Billy Bulger, left, walks with state First Girl Kitty Dukakis and Gov. Michael Dukakis on Jan. 21, 1987. (Herald file picture)
Herald file picture
Kitty Dukakis enjoys some intimate moments with ABC reporter Barbara Walters in the course of the taping of a 1988 interview within the Perry Road neighborhood in Brookline, not removed from the place Walters grew up. (Herald file picture)
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