Legacy of Kitty Dukakis: A Story of Advocacy and Resilience

Kitty Dukakis, the devoted activist and former first lady of Massachusetts, passed away at 88 in her Brookline, Massachusetts home on Friday night. Known for her unwavering humanitarian efforts and personal triumphs over alcoholism and depression—largely through electroconvulsive therapy—she later championed the treatment alongside her husband, Michael S. Dukakis, the one-time governor and 1988 Democratic presidential candidate.

Her son, John, confirmed her death was due to complications from dementia.

“Kitty Dukakis led a life dedicated to improving the world, courageously exposing her own struggles to empower others,” her family expressed in a heartfelt statement.

Throughout her life, Mrs. Dukakis vigorously supported those marginalized by society. She passionately advocated for Holocaust education and was instrumental in establishing a national memorial. Appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the inaugural President’s Commission on the Holocaust in 1978 and later to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council by President George H.W. Bush, she emphasized the importance of these horrific events as a lesson in “man’s inhumanity to man,” as she addressed the National Governors Association in 1983.

Mrs. Dukakis was notably candid among political spouses in discussing her own battles with addiction and mental health. Through two books, she unveiled her reliance on diet pills and subsequent alcoholism, eventually turning to electroshock therapy at age 64 to address her profound depression, which she said had been obscured by drinking.

Her own positive experience with electroshock therapy galvanized her and her husband to advocate publicly for its effectiveness, offering support groups directly from their home.

Although Mrs. Dukakis maintained a public façade during her husband’s political pursuits, concealing her personal struggles with alcohol and depression was a constant challenge.

With a background as a modern dance teacher, she zealously involved herself in numerous causes, fervently addressing issues affecting the homeless, refugees, and those with AIDS. Her sense of duty extended from her Jewish identity, driving her to advocate for others enduring hardship.

Mrs. Dukakis took action within refugee camps, collaborating with the Lutheran Service Association to relocate children to U.S. foster homes. In one memorable instance during the early 1980s, she pleaded successfully for access to a Thai-Cambodian refugee camp and ultimately reunited a lost boy with his sister near Boston, who later flourished academically.

Her husband recollected her deep empathy for those in need.

“Even as a child, Kitty had a natural instinct to care for others,” Mr. Dukakis reminisced in 2016. “She was born to be a social worker.”

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Mrs. Dukakis, alongside her husband, celebrating his 1988 New York Primary win, exemplified a striking juxtaposition within their marriage. He was a reserved, thrifty technocrat, incorporating practical habits like shopping at Costco and ensuring utility from Thanksgiving leftovers for future use. In contrast, she was lively and spontaneous, preferring first-class flights and high-end groceries from Whole Foods.

Their dynamic as opposites captivated the public during the 1988 presidential campaign, casting her initially as a possible political drawback. However, perceptions shifted as she became recognized as a trusted advisor who added warmth to her husband’s campaign. This partnership was epitomized when, during a public reunion in Chicago, Mr. Dukakis unabashedly shared his affection with her, disregarding his microphone.

During the campaign, an infamous debate question thrust Mrs. Dukakis into the national spotlight. Moderator Bernard Shaw infamously asked Mr. Dukakis if he would support the death penalty if his wife were raped and murdered, to which Mr. Dukakis responded without visible emotion, reaffirming his anti-death penalty stance. Critics deemed his response one of the most misjudged in debate history, contributing to a decisive loss against Vice President George H.W. Bush.

Embarrassed by the query, Mrs. Dukakis angrily deemed it inappropriate and “outrageous.”

“Thank God I’m not the candidate,” she retorted with vehemence, “because I have no idea how I would have reacted.”

Born Katharine Dickson on December 26, 1936, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, she grew up in Brookline, finding immense inspiration in her father, Harry Ellis Dickson, a prominent first violinist and conductor. Relations with her mother were strained, with her mother expressing unattainable standards and comparisons that exacerbated Mrs. Dukakis’s lifelong self-doubt.

She attended Penn State, leaving in 1957 to marry John Chaffetz, with whom she had a son, John, before divorcing him. She later earned a B.A. from Lesley College in 1963 and an M.A. from Boston University in 1982, marrying Mr. Dukakis in the interim. Together they had two daughters, Andrea and Kara. Besides her children, she is survived by her husband, grandchildren, and her extended family, though her sister Janet Peters passed away in 2021.

While her husband governed, Kitty Dukakis maintained an office at the statehouse, leveraging it for various outreach initiatives. For years, she kept her diet pill addiction and later alcoholism a secret, masking her struggles from those closest to her including her husband.

She publicized her addiction to diet pills in 1987 while her husband was campaign-bound. Nevertheless, the extent of her drinking only became clear later. Post-election, she succumbed to alcohol’s grasp, resulting in binges and public cancellations when intoxicated, ultimately leading to a spiral after her husband’s election loss.

Although not distressed by the election defeat, she noted feeling purposeless with the campaign’s abrupt conclusion. Her spiraling led to alcoholism declarations and treatment admissions, yet true sobriety remained elusive. Family restrictions forced her to turn to other substances, highlighting the severity of her addiction.

Convinced depression was the root, Mrs. Dukakis and her spouse spent nearly two decades seeking effective remedies until discovering electroconvulsive therapy. Despite its feared memory loss side effects, it yielded significant improvements, which she explored in her second book alongside journalist Larry Tye.

Reflected in “Shock: The Healing Power of Electroconvulsive Therapy,” Mrs. Dukakis described reclaiming her life from depression through ECT, which generated mental clarity that supported numerous lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking and drinking.

“ECT isn’t the cure itself; it’s the stepping stone to achieve enduring wellness that facilitates changes to negative patterns,” she acknowledged, noting the relief it provided despite sacrificing some memories. “The profound control it offers over depressive episodes outweighs the mild losses,” she concluded, attesting to its transformative impact.