WCVB - Kitty Dukakis, former first lady of Massachusetts, has died at age 88

Updated: 9:37 AM EDT Mar 22, 2025

NEEDHAM, Mass. —
Kitty Dukakis, the former first lady of Massachusetts and wife of 1988 Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis, has died at age 88, her family confirmed.

John Dukakis confirmed his mother died overnight.

Katharine Dickson was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1936 and was the daughter of Pops conductor Harry Ellis Dickson. She married Michael Dukakis in 1963, forming an unusual pair: Kitty Dukakis was Jewish and emotional, while her Greek Orthodox husband was cool and reserved. Their strong bond helped them through difficult times.

When Gov. Dukakis became the Democratic nominee for president in 1988, his wife was a poised and energetic public speaker on the campaign trail.

Kitty Dukakis urged her husband to be more aggressive when the Bush campaign called him too liberal.

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