The Budd Dwyer story is unique and sad. He served as Pennsylvania’s 30th Treasurer and was a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate. However, the man is widely known as the politician who killed himself on live television.
Dwyer, a victim of the circumstances, was wrongly accused of bribery and instead of pleading guilty to crimes he did not commit, he killed himself during a press conference. His death shocked the entire United States, especially after it was found that he was in fact innocent of the bribery crimes.
His living suicide was broadcast on several networks in Pennsylvania and thousands watched the horrific incident. While most questions about the man’s death have remained largely unanswered, here’s fun facts about the life of the extraordinary politician.
Budd Dwyer Bio
Budd Dwyer was born on November 21, 1939. Before his political adventure he was a teacher. He taught social sciences and was a football coach at Cambridge Springs High School. Budd was interested in accounting in his youth, but down the line politics took the lead. He was a graduate of Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania.
Dwyer intensified his professional pursuit of politics after studying political science and saw that more could be done to improve the political system. He soon became interested in politics and joined the Beta Chi Chapter of the prestigious Theta Chi Brotherhood.
In 1971 Dwyer became Senator and continued his good works and was re-elected in the 1974 and 1976 elections. With a flourishing political career, he decided to run for the state office. In 1980 he made a move and won the post of State Treasurer for Pennsylvania. He replaced Robert E. Casey, who had held the position since 1976. After his first term, he applied for re-election to the same post in 1984 and won a majority of the vote to win a second term. However, his second term would be his final station in politics.
How the politician committed suicide on live TV
Budd Dwyer won a second term as Pennsylvania State Treasurer in a landslide victory, but little did he know he was nearing the end of his days.
It happened that in the civil service in Pennsylvaniacomplained of high taxes and other working conditions. It was subsequently found that employees of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania made huge payments totaling millions of dollars in taxes. To solve the problem, the state requested bids from accounting firms to reimburse the heavy tax payments. After much deliberation, the offer was won by a California-based accounting firm, Computer Technology Associates (CTA), owned by John Torquato, Jr.
Shortly after the bidding, then-Governor of Pennsylvania Dick Thornburgh received an anonymous letter assuring that many bribes were involved in the bidding process that saw CTA secure the contract. An investigation immediately followed and Budd Dwyer was charged. The State Treasurer is said to have pocketed a $300,000 bribe to influence the award of the contract in favor of CTA.
CTA owner John Torquato, his attorney William T. Smith and his attorney’s wife have all been indicted by US Attorney. But Torquato and his attorney’s family chose lighter sentences than the truth, testifying on behalf of the federal government that Dwyer collected bribes from them. Budd was further dragged into the mud when four other witnesses testified that he was indeed involved in bribery during the bidding process.
Amid the court hearings, Budd Dwyer pleaded no further to the charge, claiming the contract was awarded based on a task force decision. His cry was never heard, instead he was offered a reduced sentence of five years with immediate resignation and cooperation with the government during the investigation if he pleaded guilty to the bribery charges, but he declined.
Budd Dwyer was subsequently sentenced to 55 years in prison and a $300,000 fine after being found guilty on 11 charges including mail fraud, taking a bribe, conspiracy and others. The sentencing hearing was scheduled for January 23, 1987, and Budd Dwyer was left helpless and hopeless. He had asked President Ronald Reagan and Senator Arlen Specter for help, to no avail.
Dwyer decided to hold a daily press conference before the phrase was heard. Time and time again, while maintaining his innocence, he bemoaned the justice system and how the stakeholders involved had ruined his life. As the reporters left the long conference, he urged them to stay, and shortly thereafter pulled out a revolver, which he shot in the mouth. The man died and it was later discovered that he was truly innocent.