Kitty Dukakis, wife of 1988 Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis, passed away Friday at the age of 88, according to her family.
Her son, John Dukakis; Confirmed His mother died and is attributed to complications caused by dementia.
She served as Massachusetts First Lady when her husband was governor from 1975 to 1979. In 1988, Michael Dukakis became the Democratic candidate for president.
“Kitty Dukakis used her role as the federal first lady to defend refugees and homelessness, promoting greater awareness of the Holocaust and defending more women in leadership roles within the state government,” the Massachusetts Democrats said in a statement.
“However, what truly defined her strength was her courage to publicly share her struggles with depression and substance use disorders,” he continued.
“Her integrity and courage helped her break the stigma and encouraged others to seek support and begin her own recovery journey,” the Massachusetts Democrat added.
According to Washington Post:
As Massachusetts' First Lady, Mrs. Dokakis described herself as “compassionate and humanitarian concerns.” She said she was “extremely proud” of the Jewish background – her husband was Greek orthodox – and played a role in the creation of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington.
Her intense personality, chain smoking, top-notch travel and designer clothing preferences contrasted with her husband's straight arrow persona, providing a contrast. A calm, button-down, abusive, he nursed the frugality that extends to mowing his lawn as governor. (Massachusetts does not have official governor housing.)
“Kitty had courage. She used her personal pain as a powerful force to help others. Her legacy lives on with the policies she helped shape and the people she inspired to tell her truth.”
“My thoughts, prayers, and love are with the whole family of Michael and Dukakis,” she added.
