KU News Release

Former presidential candidate Michael Dukakis to speak at Dole Institute

LAWRENCE — The Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas will host “An Evening with Michael Dukakis” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 29. The event is free and open to the public.

Dukakis was the 1988 Democratic presidential candidate but lost in the general election to George H.W. Bush.

“Michael Dukakis has devoted his life to public service and teaching,” said Jonathan Earle, interim director of the Dole Institute. “He adds to the list of fascinating political practitioners who have come to the Dole Institute to share their unique insights.”

After graduating from Swarthmore College and Harvard Law School, Dukakis served in the U.S. Army and entered Massachusetts politics. He was elected governor in 1974, inheriting a record deficit and record-high unemployment. He is credited with digging Massachusetts out of one of its worst financial and economic crises in history. After losing office in 1978, Dukakis came back four years later and was re-elected to an unprecedented third four-year term in 1986 by one of the largest margins in history. In 1986, his colleagues in the National Governors Association voted him the most effective governor in the nation.

In 1988, Dukakis became the first Greek-American to be nominated for the presidency. He emerged from a strong Democratic field that included Sens. Al Gore and Gary Hart and the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Following the election, Dukakis returned to Massachusetts to finish his term as governor.

Today, Dukakis spends his time teaching, spending one semester at Northeastern University in Massachusetts and the other at the University of California-Los Angeles. Dukakis spends time on the West Coast to be closer to his three children and six grandchildren.

“A kid of immigrants becomes a governor and runs for president. A true American story,” said Dukakis. “I’m just a guy who loves his country. I was fortunate to be involved in public life for more than 30 years. Lots of us have dreams; I have lived mine.”

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