Kitty Dukakis, Wife of Former Massachusetts Governor and Presidential Nominee, Dies at 88
Kitty Dukakis, the wife of former Massachusetts governor and 1988 Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis, passed away on Friday, March 21, at the age of 88. Her son, John Dukakis, confirmed her death to WBUR, stating that she was surrounded by family at the time. According to John, 66, her cause of death was complications from dementia.
Kitty Dukakis, born Katherine Dickson on December 26, 1936, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, grew up in a Jewish family. She attended high school in Brookline, Massachusetts, before briefly studying at Pennsylvania State University. After leaving school, she married her first husband, John Chaffetz Sr., and had one son, John Jr. The couple moved frequently during their four-year marriage before divorcing.:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(757x203:759x205):format(webp)/Michael-Kitty-Dukakis-020224-3-90fee29977e74f3183c01beb49098747.jpg)
Upon returning to Cambridge, Kitty was introduced to Michael Dukakis, then a rising political figure who later became governor of Massachusetts. The two quickly formed a bond, and Kitty, who found Michael “very sexually attractive,” married him in 1963, the same year she completed her bachelor’s degree in education at Lesley College. Together, they raised three children—John Jr., Andrea, and Kara.
Kitty pursued further education, earning two master’s degrees from Boston University—one in broadcast and film and another in social work. As a social worker, she served on the boards of the Refugee Policy Group and Refugees International. Kitty was also appointed by President Jimmy Carter to serve on his commission on the Holocaust and was a founding member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, which opened in 1993.
In 1990, following personal struggles with depression and alcohol addiction, Kitty released a memoir titled Now You Know. The book candidly discussed her battles with mental health and alcoholism, which were exacerbated by Michael’s crushing loss in the 1988 presidential election. Kitty later co-authored a second book in 2006, Shock: The Healing Power of Electroconvulsive Therapy, in which she detailed how ECT helped her recover from severe depression. Kitty and Michael became strong advocates for destigmatizing ECT.
Kitty is survived by her husband, son, and other family members. Her legacy as a public figure, advocate, and compassionate mother and wife will be remembered by all who knew her.