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96-643: Modern passenger service on the Greenbush Line began on October 31, 2007. This service restoration, put in place as environmental mitigation for the Big Dig project, was the first passenger service on the line since 1959. Before passenger train service stopped in 1959, commuter trains had been using parts of the Greenbush line for over 100 years. Train service was first started by the South Shore Railroad which

192-630: A 17-year-old senior in high school, he ran the Boston Marathon . He graduated from Swarthmore College in 1955 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science . Although Dukakis had been accepted into Harvard Law School , he chose to enlist in the United States Army . After basic training at Fort Dix and advanced individual training at Camp Gordon , he was assigned as radio operator to the 8020th Administrative Unit in Munsan , South Korea . The unit

288-535: A 2018 count. Starting on April 30, 2011, weekend service was suspended to allow replacement of faulty concrete ties with wooden ties on the Old Colony mainline. The Greenbush branch itself, which was constructed with a different order of ties, did not need tie replacement. Weekend service resumed on December 24, 2011. On March 28, 2012, the MBTA announced that Greenbush Line service would no longer operate on weekends, as with

384-481: A backlash against the state's high sales and property tax rates, which turned out to be the predominant issue in the 1978 gubernatorial campaign . Dukakis, despite being the incumbent Democratic governor, was refused renomination by his own party. The state's Democratic Party chose to support Director of the Massachusetts Port Authority Edward J. King in the primary , partly because King rode

480-518: A day (or 8,400 total daily one-way trips) riding the train by three years after its opening, the MBTA said that ridership was only half that. The ridership numbers were down from 2009, when some 3,081 inbound riders (6,037 total trips) were recorded. These passengers were also more likely to have switched to the train from the MBTA commuter ferries , rather than the predicted car users. Ridership increased 40% between 2012 and 2018, with 6,114 total daily trips in

576-469: A documentary film about Dukakis's life as professor at Northeastern, premiered on October 22, 2024. In August 2009, the 75-year-old Dukakis was mentioned as one of two leading candidates as a possible interim successor to Ted Kennedy in the U.S. Senate, after Kennedy's death. Instead, Gov. Patrick named Paul G. Kirk , the other leading candidate and favorite of the Kennedy family who promised not to run in

672-523: A greatly increased cost. The line eventually cost $ 534 million—equal to the cost of the two Old Colony Lines branches combined. The extension of MBTA commuter rail service was intended to reduce congestion along the Southeast Expressway , Route 3 and Route 3A . The line was built with 3,100 parking spaces, and was eventually expected to provide 8,600 one-way rides daily, diverting approximately 5,000 of those trips from automobiles. Construction of

768-465: A high-tech boom and a period of prosperity in Massachusetts while simultaneously earning a reputation as a 'technocrat'. The National Governors Association voted Dukakis the most effective governor in 1986. Residents of the city of Boston and its surrounding areas remember him for the improvements he made to Boston's mass transit system, especially major renovations to the city's trains and buses . He

864-536: A major party, and was, until President Obama's nomination in 2008, the only major presidential nominee in history with ancestry from outside Northwestern Europe . Every United States presidential nominee except for Martin van Buren (who was of entirely Dutch ancestry) has had ancestry from the British Isles . As the first ethnic Greek nominated for the Presidency by a major party, Dukakis enjoyed strong support among

960-614: A much lesser extent). He lost most of the South by a wide margin, with Bush's popular vote margins exceeding 15% in most states. He carried most of the southern-central parishes of Louisiana, which was also his best Southern popular vote margin. His second-lowest Southern margin was Texas, where four overwhelmingly Mexican-American counties of South Texas delivered more than 81% of the vote to Dukakis, and were among his top five counties or county-equivalents nationally. In 2008, Dukakis stated during an interview with Katie Couric that he "owe[d]

1056-505: A number of other notable Greek-Americans, he is a founding member of The Next Generation Initiative: a leadership program aimed at getting students involved in public affairs. In November 2008, Northeastern named its Center for Urban and Regional Policy after Michael Dukakis and his wife Kitty. Dukakis is a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One . Dukakis retired from Northeastern at age 90 in 2024. Dukakis: Recipe for Democracy ,

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1152-416: A pre-suit settlement with CLF, state highway officials in Massachusetts agreed to implement measures to reduce air pollution, including rail and transit improvements, as part of Boston’s Central Artery project (also known as the Big Dig ). Additionally, CLF advocated for state laws to protect children from the threat of lead poisoning . In 1988, following a three-year campaign by CLF, Massachusetts passed

1248-538: A re-match in the 1982 Democratic primary. He went on to defeat his Republican opponent, John Winthrop Sears , in the November election. Future United States Senator, 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, and US Secretary of State John Kerry was elected lieutenant governor on the same ballot with Dukakis, and served in the Dukakis administration from 1983 to 1985. Dukakis served as governor during which time he presided over

1344-422: A result, CLF works to bring local environmental concerns to the attention of legislators and policymakers, and serve as a resource for communicating these concerns throughout the region. Founded in 1966 to stop the development of ski slopes on Massachusetts' highest peak, Mount Greylock , CLF has since expanded its advocacy to address both environmental and community issues in all six New England states. In 1977,

1440-407: A scarf, which turned out very successfully and helped in her 1987 reelection. General Dynamics protocol requires one to wear the protective helmet for safety and communication when the tank is running at full speed, although Dukakis campaign staffers were aware that a politician putting on any headgear was a faux pas. A member of the press did photograph Dukakis without the helmet when the tank exited

1536-481: A schedule requiring the Salem Harbor and Brayton Point coal-fired power plants to significantly reduce harmful emissions and comply with the "Filthy Five" regulations. Both plants have since shut down their operations. More recently, CLF played a critical role in several states passing strong climate laws, known as Global Warming Solutions Acts. CLF also intervened to help the town of Burrillville, Rhode Island, prevent

1632-579: A settlement requiring the National Marine Fisheries Service to produce a management plan to eliminate overfishing), and the protection of the Vermont black bear habitat (by obtaining a federal court injunction halting destructive U.S. logging practices in southern Vermont's fragile Lamb Brook wilderness area, marking the first time an environmental group in the Northeast successfully challenges

1728-496: A story headlined "Dukakis Kin Hints at Sessions", suggesting that a member of the Dukakis family had said "it is possible" that Dukakis saw a psychiatrist. A week later the reporter, Gene Grabowski , revealed that Times editors had taken the full quote out of context. The full quote was "It's possible, but I doubt it." Dukakis's general election campaign was subject to several criticisms and gaffes on issues such as capital punishment ,

1824-458: A transition to a regional rail model. Weekend service on the Greenbush Line and the six other lines resumed on July 3, 2021. As of February 2022, the line has 13 round trips on weekdays and 8 on weekends. By October 2022, daily ridership was 2,691 riders; at 44% of pre-COVID ridership, this was the lowest recovery of the system's lines. Conservation Law Foundation#Community and transportation advocacy Conservation Law Foundation (CLF)

1920-549: Is a nonprofit , member-supported organization with offices in Connecticut, Maine , Massachusetts , New Hampshire , Rhode Island and Vermont . With offices in every New England state, CLF works to solve environmental problems that impact the region's communities. CLF’s strategies of advocacy concentrate on areas of law, public policy, and science. CLF both defends environmental policy through litigation and petitions and creates it through legislative and regulatory advocacy. As

2016-763: Is an American retired lawyer and politician who served as governor of Massachusetts from 1975 to 1979 and from 1983 to 1991. He is the longest-serving governor in Massachusetts history and only the second Greek-American governor in U.S. history, after Spiro Agnew . He was nominated by the Democratic Party for president in the 1988 election , losing to the Republican nominee, Vice President George H. W. Bush . Born in Brookline, Massachusetts , to Greek immigrants, Dukakis attended Swarthmore College before enlisting in

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2112-459: Is an environmental advocacy organization based in New England , United States. Since 1966, CLF's mission has been to advocate for New England's environment and its communities. CLF's advocacy work takes place across five integrated program areas: Clean Energy & Climate Change , Clean Air & Water, Healthy Oceans, People & Justice, and Healthy Communities. CLF's mission statement is to "use

2208-513: Is married to Katharine D. (Kitty) Dukakis . They have three children: John , Andrea, and Kara. John is the issue of Kitty's first marriage, to Phoenix businessman John Chaffetz (who later fathered former Congressman Jason Chaffetz ); Michael Dukakis adopted John, Jr. During the second presidential debate on October 13, 1988, in Los Angeles, Dukakis revealed that he and his wife had had another child, who died about 20 minutes after birth. Dukakis

2304-408: Is the cousin of Academy Award–winning actress Olympia Dukakis . In 1988, they shared that they attend both Greek Orthodox and Jewish worship services out of respect for both of the spouses' faiths. The Dukakises continue to reside in the home that they bought in the early 1970s in Brookline, Massachusetts , where they both grew up. However, they have also maintained a home in Los Angeles during

2400-567: Is working to protect the public’s legal right to access the harbor and ensuring that the area is made resilient in the face of increasingly severe climate impacts. Exposés by InsideClimate News and the Los Angeles Times have confirmed that oil giant ExxonMobil knew as early as the late 1970s that climate change caused by human activities would be devastating if left unchecked. CLF investigated how this has affected New England communities. Its investigation revealed that, despite knowing

2496-697: The 1938 New England hurricane damaged the causeway over the North River to Marshfield. The railroad enjoyed a brief uptick in traffic in World War II with the construction of the Hingham Naval Ammunition Depot and the Hingham Naval Ammunition Depot Annex . The number of daily trips was increased from 4 to 8 after World War II under Frederick C. Dumaine, Jr. , and modern diesel trains including Budd RDCs were introduced in

2592-468: The Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States in the 1988 United States presidential election , prevailing over a primary field that included Jesse Jackson , Dick Gephardt , Paul Simon , Gary Hart , Joe Biden and Al Gore , among others. Composer John Williams wrote "Fanfare for Michael Dukakis" in 1988 at the request of Dukakis's father-in-law, Harry Ellis Dickson. The piece

2688-608: The Greek American community. The Associated Press reported in April 1988 that there was an "outpouring of pride in Dukakis", which was especially strong and sentimental among older generations of Greek Americans. Dukakis stressed his working-class background as the son of impoverished immigrants, and his fluency in Greek among several other languages. Touching on his immigrant roots, Dukakis used Neil Diamond 's ode to immigrants, " America ", as

2784-561: The Massachusetts House of Representatives between 1962 and 1970. In 1966, Dukakis unsuccessfully ran for Attorney General of Massachusetts . In 1970 , Dukakis was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor on a ticket led by Boston mayor Kevin White . However, the Democratic ticket lost the 1970 gubernatorial election. After losing his bid for lieutenant governor, Dukakis returned to

2880-518: The Needham Line and Plymouth Line . The move came as a part of fare increases and service cuts in order to close the agency's operating budget shortfall for the following year. Weekend service was eliminated beginning July 7, 2012; weekend service was kept for the first week of the new fiscal year to allow for service on the July 4th holiday. Weekend service on the Greenbush Line, as well as weekend service on

2976-612: The Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument in September of 2016. The monument, located on Georges Bank , includes four underwater mountains and three deep-sea canyons. It protects ancient and fragile coral communities, endangered whales, and an abundance of unique and rare marine life, some found nowhere else in the world. One of the focuses of CLF's recent advocacy is pushing states to invest in clean energy sources to mitigate climate change. In 1983, CLF took credit for

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3072-806: The U.S. Forest Service 's clear-cutting policies). In 1983, CLF sued the Massachusetts Metropolitan District Commission (a division of the government of the state of Massachusetts) and the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up Boston Harbor , which had severely degraded water quality. The result of this and other litigation, including that of the City of Quincy, was to compel the state to comply with federal environmental laws and to build appropriate facilities to properly treat sewage discharged into Boston Harbor, and establish workable governmental mechanisms to finance

3168-420: The United States Army . After graduating from Harvard Law School , he won election to the Massachusetts House of Representatives , serving from 1963 to 1971. He won the 1974 Massachusetts gubernatorial election but lost his 1978 bid for re-nomination to Edward J. King . He defeated King in the 1982 gubernatorial primary and served as governor from 1983 to 1991, presiding over a period of economic growth known as

3264-566: The " Massachusetts Miracle ". Building on his popularity as governor, Dukakis sought the Democratic presidential nomination for the 1988 presidential election . He prevailed in the Democratic primaries and was formally nominated at the 1988 Democratic National Convention . Dukakis chose Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas as his running mate, while the Republicans nominated a ticket of George H. W. Bush and Senator Dan Quayle . Dukakis made history as

3360-600: The "naked cruelty" of the 1988 campaign. During the campaign, Vice President George H. W. Bush , the Republican nominee, criticized Dukakis for his traditionally liberal positions on many issues, calling him a "card-carrying member of the ACLU ". Dukakis's support for a prison furlough program was a major election subject. During his first term as governor, he had vetoed a bill that would have stopped furloughs for first-degree murderers. During his second term, that program resulted in

3456-696: The 1870s, the Old Colony acquired the South Shore in 1877 and the Duxbury and Cohasset in 1878 and combined them as the South Shore Line. The Nantasket Beach Railroad opened in 1880 from Nantasket Junction to the Pemberton section of Hull in 1880 and joined the Old Colony in 1881. After closing in 1886, it reopened in 1888. A second track was added to the South Shore Line in 1890 from Braintree to Nantasket Junction to support Nantasket Beach service. In March 1893,

3552-550: The 1950s. However, the New Haven Railroad continued to lose money on the service, and after Dumaine was ousted the railroad announced all trains would cease running in 1958. Only an emergency subsidy by the state kept trains running until June 30, 1959 when the Southeast Expressway opened and all passenger train service ended. Freight trains continued to use the line as far south as the Hingham Lumber Yard located, where

3648-450: The American people an apology" because "if I had beaten the old man [i.e. George H. W. Bush], we never would have heard of the kid [i.e. George W. Bush], and we wouldn't be in this mess." His final two years as governor were marked by increased criticism of his policies and significant tax increases to cover the economic effects of the U.S. economy's "soft landing" at the end of the 1980s and

3744-535: The Electoral College. Though Bush still won a majority of the popular vote, Dukakis's margin of loss (7.8%) nationally was narrower than Jimmy Carter's in 1980 (9.7%) or Walter Mondale's in 1984 (18.2%), and earned 41.8 million votes nationally. Dukakis made some strong showings in states that had voted for Republicans Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford . He managed to pull off a close win in New York, which at

3840-486: The Greenbush Line had not run past Nantasket Junction since 1963 (except for some freight traffic to the Hingham Naval Ammunition Depot Annex between 1967 and 1972) and West Hingham since 1979. In 1983, all freight traffic on the line except to the Fore River Railroad ceased. The line was abandoned; with brush covering rusted-out and missing rails. Because residents had gotten used to the line being abandoned, there

3936-456: The MDC failed in the legislature, where the MDC had many powerful supporters. As a result, the MDC would withhold its critical backing of Dukakis in the 1978 gubernatorial primary. Governor Dukakis hosted President Gerald Ford and Britain's Queen Elizabeth II during their visits to Boston in 1976 to commemorate the bicentennial of the United States . He gained some notice as the only politician in

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4032-469: The Massachusetts Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Dukakis endorsed Elizabeth Warren's candidacy in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries . He later endorsed Democratic nominee, Joe Biden during the general election. He and his wife also endorsed Ed Markey for reelection to his Massachusetts U.S. senate seat in 2020 during both the primary and general elections. Dukakis

4128-505: The Nantasket Junction station now exists, until 1979. All service was terminated in 1983. During the early 1980s, officials from the South Shore area began speaking in support of the restoration of passenger rail service in the area; in 1985, then-Governor Michael Dukakis voiced support for the proposals. In 1990, as part of environmental mitigation for the Big Dig project, both the Greenbush and Old Colony Lines were submitted to

4224-582: The Old Colony Railroad and all its trackage, including the South Shore Line and the Nantasket Beach Branch, were taken over by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad . The New Haven had plans to electrify some southside commuter lines, and some infrastructure was built, including lower-level loop platforms at South Station . However, the only electrification that actually took place was on

4320-563: The Plymouth/Kingston Line and Saturday service on the Needham Line , resumed on December 27, 2014. Substantially reduced schedules due to the COVID-19 pandemic were in effect from March 16 to June 23, 2020, and from December 14, 2020, to April 5, 2021. On January 23, 2021, reduced schedules went into place with no weekend service on seven lines, including the Greenbush Line. Service changes on April 5, 2021, added midday service as part of

4416-413: The South Shore and Nantasket Beach lines. The Nantasket Beach line was electrified in 1895, and trolley service ran on the line until 1932. Between 1896 and 1899, the South Shore was electrified from Braintree to Cohasset, with an unusual center-of-the-track third rail . However, the third rail was dangerous at grade crossings, and the South Shore returned to steam-only service in 1902. The double track

4512-445: The ad. It was followed by a separate Bush campaign ad, " Revolving Door ", criticizing Dukakis over the furlough program without mentioning Horton. The legislature canceled the program during Dukakis's last term. Dukakis was criticized during the campaign for a perceived softness on defense issues, particularly the controversial " Star Wars " program, which he promised to weaken. In response to this, Dukakis orchestrated what would become

4608-485: The board of directors for Amtrak and taught political science at Northeastern University and UCLA . He was mentioned as a potential appointee to the Senate in 2009 to fill the vacancy caused by Ted Kennedy 's death, but Governor Deval Patrick chose Paul G. Kirk . In 2012 , Dukakis backed the successful Senate campaign of Elizabeth Warren , whom he also supported in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries . With

4704-460: The construction of a large natural gas/oil-fired power plant – which would have polluted the area and contributed to climate change – from being built in the community. While the clean-up of Boston Harbor has been a success, today, it faces new threats, including sea-level rise and efforts by some private developers to block public access to what is affectionately called the People’s Harbor. CLF

4800-587: The death of Bob Dole on December 5, 2021, Dukakis became the oldest living major party presidential candidate who was never elected president. Dukakis was born in Brookline, Massachusetts . His father Panos (1896–1979) was a Greek immigrant from Edremit in Turkey . Panos Dukakis settled in Lowell, Massachusetts , in 1912, and graduated from Harvard Medical School twelve years later, subsequently working as an obstetrician . Dukakis's mother Euterpe (née Boukis; 1903–2003)

4896-531: The decision by the Public Service Company of New Hampshire, the largest electric company in the state, to abandon its plans for a second nuclear unit at Seabrook Nuclear Power Station after CLF testimony demonstrated that the construction of the facility would not make financial sense. Later, in 2003, CLF claimed victory when the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection finalized

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4992-528: The election by a decisive margin in the Electoral College to George H. W. Bush and Dan Quayle , carrying only 10 states and the District of Columbia . Many believed he should have been campaigning across the country. During this time, his 17-point lead in opinion polls completely disappeared, as his lack of visibility allowed Bush to define the issues of the campaign. A large number of Democrats believed that

5088-421: The environmental impact of the restored train service. These included constructing an 890-foot (270 m) long tunnel costing $ 40 million under downtown Hingham, another trenched underpass at Weymouth Landing, and the soundproofing of homes and businesses located near the railroad tracks. Ultimately, the legal and political delays and ensuing mitigation delayed the opening of the line for many years and resulted in

5184-449: The erection of fencing in populated areas, lasted into 2008. The 7 stations built for the line are similar in construction; each has a single 800-foot-long high-level side platform, serving a single track. Each station has 200 to 500 parking spaces, except for Greenbush, which houses 1000 spots in order to serve commuters driving from Hanover , Norwell , Marshfield , and Duxbury . By 2010, despite predictions of 4,200 inbound passengers

5280-456: The federal government in order to receive funding for the Big Dig. Both Old Colony lines were granted federal funds, but due to local opposition the state did not receive funds for the construction of the Greenbush Line. The Old Colony Lines were prioritized and opened in September 1997. The Old Colony Lines saw continuous freight usage between 1959 and their restoration, but the freight traffic on

5376-492: The first Greek-American and Aromanian presidential candidate, first Greek Orthodox major-party nominee, and the first major-party nominee with ancestry outside Europe. Although he lost the election, carrying only ten states and Washington, D.C. , he improved on the Democratic performances in the previous two elections. After the election, Dukakis announced that he would not seek another term as governor, and he left office in 1991. Since leaving office, Dukakis has served on

5472-424: The first of two Presidential debates, frequently managing to put Mr. Bush on the defensive." In the second debate, his performance was poor and played to his reputation as being cold. During the campaign, Dukakis's mental health became an issue when he refused to release his full medical history and there were, according to The New York Times , "persistent suggestions" that he had undergone psychiatric treatment in

5568-406: The garage at a slow speed, but the rest of the photographers snapped shots of Dukakis wearing a helmet when the tank made a high speed pass. The image of Dukakis wearing a helmet while riding the tank was ridiculed by Bush and the media. The following week, a poll found that 25 percent of respondents said they were less likely to support him because of the tank ride. Footage of Dukakis in the tank

5664-517: The goal of achieving net zero emissions in New England by 2050. According to CLF, landfills and waste incinerators are dangerous and unsustainable. Their harmful impacts are felt most acutely by Environmental Justice (EJ) communities, which host a disproportionate number of these facilities compared to wealthier communities. Through the Zero Waste Project, CLF is raising awareness about

5760-409: The grounds that it would increase noise levels and aesthetically mar the neighborhoods through which the new rail service was to run. Concerns were also raised about traffic jams being created at the grade crossings while the gates were down for trains to pass. Partially as a result of extensive litigation, the MBTA then worked with the towns along the Greenbush route to enact several measures to mitigate

5856-628: The harm climate change could cause, ExxonMobil left its oil storage facilities in Everett, Massachusetts , and elsewhere vulnerable to flooding from storms and rising seas. CLF launched the United States’ first legal action against Exxon for its climate deceit and for Clean Water Act violations at its oil storage facility in Everett, which sits on the Mystic River. In 2023, CLF settled with Exxon. The terms of

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5952-588: The key image of his campaign, although it turned out quite differently from what he intended. On September 13, 1988, Dukakis visited the General Dynamics Land Systems plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan , to take part in a photo op in an M1 Abrams tank. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom , Margaret Thatcher , had been photographed in 1986 riding in a Challenger tank while wearing

6048-453: The law, science, and the market to create solutions that preserve natural resources, build healthy communities, and sustain a vibrant economy." CLF focuses on promoting renewable energy and fight air and water pollution; building sustainable fishing communities and protect marine habitat; promoting public transit and defend public health; achieving environmental justice ; and sustaining a vibrant, equitable economy. Conservation Law Foundation

6144-623: The line began in 2003 and major work was completed on February 6, 2007. The first test train ran on May 19, 2007. Testing of the signals along the line began in earnest in August 2007 in anticipation of opening the line later in the fall. Ceremonial trains were run on October 30, 2007, the day before the line opened for regular service. The front of MBTA locomotive #1052 was painted for the occasion. The Greenbush Line opened for regular passenger service on October 31, 2007, with 12 round trips on weekdays and 8 on weekends. Some minor construction projects, like

6240-464: The loss was to blame on Dukakis's delayed response to Bush and underestimating Bush's strength as a candidate. Dukakis has since stated that the main reason he lost was his decision "not to respond to the Bush attack campaign, and in retrospect it was a pretty dumb decision." Despite Dukakis's loss, his performance was a marked improvement over the previous two Democratic efforts, both in the popular vote and

6336-559: The nation’s toughest law to protect its citizens, especially children, from lead poisoning. More recently, CLF has continued its work to prevent lead poisoning in children by advocating for bills in New Hampshire and Vermont that require testing of school drinking water sources. CLF and its partners played a critical role in the designation of the first marine national monument in the Atlantic Ocean . President Barack Obama designated

6432-402: The negative health and environmental impacts of trash and pushing forward solutions to reduce waste. Among other successes, CLF and partners successfully pushed Maine’s legislature to pass the first " Extended Producer Responsibility " bill in the country in 2021. Michael Dukakis Michael Stanley Dukakis ( / d ʊ ˈ k ɑː k ɪ s / duu- KAH -kiss ; born November 3, 1933)

6528-670: The new facilities and pay for their continuing operations. The formation of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), taking over the water facilities properties, operations, and legal authority previously held by the Metropolitan District commission, is one byproduct of the litigation. The legal battle was most intense from 1983 into the 1990s. CLF advocated for increased light rail and public transportation options in Boston, New Hampshire, and Maine. In

6624-462: The organization successfully fought the expansion plans for a federal divided highway through Franconia Notch in New Hampshire 's White Mountains . Since that time, CLF's legal advocacy has focused on several natural resources cases, including the cleanup of Lake Champlain , the prevention of overfishing of groundfish – cod , haddock , and flounder – off the coast of New England (resulting in

6720-450: The past. The issue gained further traction after a White House press conference, during which President Ronald Reagan flippantly referred to Dukakis as an "invalid". In the 2008 film Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story , journalist Robert Novak revealed that Republican strategist Lee Atwater had personally tried to get him to spread these mental health rumors. Editors at The Washington Times contributed to these rumors when they ran

6816-405: The pledge of allegiance in schools , and a photograph of Dukakis in a tank which was intended to portray him as a sound choice for commander-in-chief but which was widely perceived to have backfired. Like the allegations of psychiatric problems, these were vulnerabilities which Atwater identified and exploited. In 1991, shortly before his death from a brain tumor, Atwater apologized to Dukakis for

6912-598: The popular vote would not be matched by any subsequent Democratic presidential candidate in South Dakota (46.51%), Kansas (42.56%), Oklahoma (41.28%), Wyoming (38.01%), or Idaho (36.01%). Although Dukakis cut into the Republican hold in the Midwest, he failed to dent the emerging GOP stronghold in the South that had been forming since the end of World War II with a temporary reprieve with Jimmy Carter (along with future President and Southern Democrat Bill Clinton , albeit to

7008-451: The powerful Metropolitan District Commission (MDC), a bureaucratic enclave that served as home to hundreds of political patronage employees. The MDC managed state parks, reservoirs, and waterways, as well as the highways and roads abutting those waterways. In addition to its own police force, the MDC had its own maritime patrol force, and an enormous budget from the state, for which it provided minimal accounting. Dukakis's efforts to dismantle

7104-426: The primary, a disappointment that his wife Kitty called "a public death". Following his first governorship, Dukakis taught at Harvard University 's John F. Kennedy School of Government . In 1980, Dukakis published his book State and Cities: The Massachusetts Experience . Four years later, having made peace with the state Democratic Party, MDC, the state police and public employee unions, Dukakis defeated King in

7200-427: The private sector, practicing law and becoming a partner at Hill and Barlow . Dukakis was elected governor in 1974, defeating the incumbent Republican Francis Sargent during a period of fiscal crisis. Dukakis won in part by promising to be a "reformer" and pledging a "lead pipe guarantee" of no new taxes to balance the state budget. He would later reverse his position after taking office. He also pledged to dismantle

7296-613: The recession of 1990. He announced in early 1989 that he would not seek reelection to a fourth term. After the end of his term, he served on the board of directors for Amtrak , and became a professor of political science at Northeastern University , a visiting professor of political science at Loyola Marymount University , and visiting professor in the Department of Public Policy at the Luskin School of Public Affairs at UCLA . He had retired from his teaching roles by 2021. Along with

7392-632: The release of convicted murderer Willie Horton , who committed a rape and assault in Maryland after being furloughed. George H. W. Bush mentioned Horton by name in a speech in June 1988, and a conservative political action committee (PAC) affiliated with the Bush campaign, the National Security Political Action Committee, aired an ad entitled "Weekend Passes", which used a mug shot image of Horton. The Bush campaign refused to repudiate

7488-815: The settlement included a restriction to prevent the property from ever again being utilized as bulk fossil fuel storage. CLF has also pursuing similar cases against Shell Oil , Gulf Oil , and others in additional cities in New England. CLF has worked with partners in every New England state to pass binding laws that require significant cuts in climate-damaging emissions by 2050. Climate scientists agree that, globally, nations must lower greenhouse gas emissions within 10 years to avoid catastrophic climate change . With federal climate action stymied, CLF and its partners have successfully pushed state governments in Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Connecticut to pass binding climate laws – or to update existing laws – to ensure accountability in meeting emissions targets, with

7584-439: The special election, to fill the seat. Dukakis has also been an advocate for effective public transportation and high-speed rail as a solution to automobile congestion and the lack of space at airports; and for extended learning time initiative in public schools. Dukakis stated on January 31, 2014, that he was not in favor of an effort to rename South Station as the "Gov. Michael S. Dukakis Transportation Center", although it

7680-547: The state government who went to work during the Blizzard of 1978 , during which he went to local TV studios in a sweater to announce emergency bulletins. Dukakis is also remembered for his 1977 exoneration of Sacco and Vanzetti , two Italian anarchists whose trial sparked protests around the world. During his first term in office, Dukakis commuted the sentences of 21 first-degree murderers and 23 second-degree murderers. His first term performance proved to be insufficient to offset

7776-481: The tank ride. The phrase "Dukakis in the tank" remains a shorthand for backfired public relations outings. In 2008, when asked about the photograph, Dukakis said "Should I have been in the tank? Probably not, in retrospect. But these days when people ask me, 'Did you get here in a tank?' I always respond by saying, 'No, and I've never thrown up all over the Japanese prime minister '." The Dukakis/Bentsen ticket lost

7872-511: The theme song for his campaign. This was seen as a sharp departure from his previous political campaigns in heavily white Massachusetts, in which the Washington Post reported that Dukakis rarely, if at all, made a point of his ethnicity (hence the reported colloquial saying "I knew Michael Dukakis before he was Greek"). Although George H.W Bush's campaign did not make a point of it in their attack ads , researchers and pollsters often discussed

7968-500: The time was the second largest state in terms of electoral votes; he also scored victories in Rhode Island, Hawaii, his home state of Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington. Walter Mondale had lost all six states, and since then, all six states have remained in the Democratic column at presidential elections. He swept Iowa, winning by 10 points in a state that had voted Republican in the last five presidential elections. His proportion of

8064-409: The train was short-lived, however. Cutbacks in service due to World War I were not reversed afterwards, due to the increasing usage of the automobile. The New Haven Railroad went bankrupt in 1935 and only kept a few passenger trains running because of a court order directing it to do so. Service south of Greenbush, limited to a single South Duxbury round trip since 1932, was discontinued in 1939, after

8160-456: The voting public. His reserved and stoic nature was easily interpreted to be a lack of passion; Dukakis was often referred to as " Zorba the Clerk ". Nevertheless, Dukakis is considered to have done well in the first presidential debate with George H.W. Bush, with The New York Times reporting, "Democratic and Republican analysts generally agreed that Mr. Dukakis had turned in the better performance in

8256-406: The vulnerability of Dukakis embracing his heritage. Conservative analyst William Schneider Jr. said that Dukakis' Greekness was the "great unspoken issue" of the election. The Post assessed that Bush's desirability as a WASP would inevitably make a victory more difficult for Dukakis in the long run. Regardless of community support, Dukakis had trouble with the personality that he projected to

8352-410: The wave against high property taxes, but more significantly because state Democratic Party leaders lost confidence in Dukakis's ability to govern effectively. King also enjoyed the support of the power brokers at the MDC, who were unhappy with Dukakis's attempts to dismantle their powerful bureaucracy. King also had support from state police and public employee unions. Dukakis suffered a scathing defeat in

8448-707: Was a support group to the United Nations delegation of the Military Armistice Commission Dukakis served from 1955 to 1957. He then received his J.D. degree from Harvard Law School in 1960. Dukakis is also an Eagle Scout and recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America . Dukakis began his political career as an elected Town Meeting Member in the town of Brookline. Dukakis served four terms in

8544-548: Was born in Larissa , to Aromanian parents from Vrysochori . The Aromanians, or " Vlachs , as they are called in their Balkan homeland, are descendants of Latin-speaking people of the Roman Empire." She and her family emigrated to Haverhill, Massachusetts , in 1913. Dukakis attended Brookline High School in his hometown, where he was an honor student and a member of the basketball, baseball, tennis, and cross-country teams. As

8640-555: Was chartered in March 1846 to build a branch off the Old Colony Railroad at Braintree . It opened to Cohasset on January 1, 1849, running three round trips per day with Old Colony equipment. The South Shore separated from the Old Colony in 1854. The Old Colony-backed Duxbury and Cohasset Railroad, chartered in 1867, opened to South Duxbury in 1871 and to a junction with the Old Colony at Kingston in 1874. After an economic collapse in

8736-458: Was extended to Greenbush station in Scituate by 1911, and the station was used as the terminus for many short turn commuter trains. In 1911, service on the line included 8 trains to Plymouth via Kingston, 5 Greenbush short-turns, and 9 Cohasset short-turns. Under the control of the New Haven Railroad, the South Shore Line and others set all-time records for number of passengers. The popularity of

8832-599: Was known for riding the subway to work every day as governor. In 1988, Dukakis and Rosabeth Moss Kanter , his economic adviser in the 1988 presidential elections, wrote a book entitled Creating the Future: the Massachusetts Comeback and Its Promise for America , an examination of the Massachusetts Miracle . Using the phenomenon termed the " Massachusetts Miracle " to promote his campaign, Dukakis sought

8928-453: Was later renamed to that name. He went on to state that he would not object to the naming of the as-yet unbuilt North-South Rail Link after him. In 2012 , Dukakis worked to support the successful candidacy of fellow Democrat Elizabeth Warren to the U.S. Senate. During the 2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries , Dukakis endorsed the campaign of Hillary Clinton . Dukakis endorsed Setti Warren 's unsuccessful 2018 candidacy for

9024-472: Was more resistance to the Greenbush line being restored than for the Old Colony Lines. The Greenbush Line has 28 grade crossings on the 18 miles of track from Greenbush to where it meets the Old Colony mainline, promoting safety concerns from residents and causing the MBTA to roll out a major public safety campaign. Residents of some communities also opposed restoration of service on the Greenbush branch on

9120-563: Was premiered under the baton of Dickson (then the Associate Conductor of the Boston Pops ) at that year's Democratic National Convention . Dukakis won the Democratic nomination, with 2,877 out of 4,105 delegates. He chose Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas to be his vice presidential running mate. Dukakis was pro-choice on the issue of abortion. Dukakis made history as the first non- Western European American nominated for president by

9216-484: Was used in a television ad by the Bush campaign which aired during the World Series . The Dukakis campaign produced a 60-second response ad that featured a television set playing Bush's ad, which is flicked off the screen by a finger later revealed to be Dukakis as he proclaims that he is fed up with "George Bush's negative TV ads", but this "pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey advertising" only ended up drawing further attention to

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