R. Budd Dwyer

For other people named Robert Dwyer (disambiguation), see Robert Dwyer (disambiguation) (disambiguation).

R. Budd Dwyer
File:Dddr66.jpg R. Budd Dwyer seconds before committing suicide. Photo credit: Gary Miller/The Associated Press
30th Treasurer of Pennsylvania
In office January 20, 1981 – January 22, 1987
Preceded by	Robert Casey
Succeeded by	Davis Greene
Member of the Pennsylvania Senate from the 50th district
In office January 5, 1971 – January 20, 1981
Preceded by	James Willard
Succeeded by	Roy Wilt
Constituency	Parts of Mercer, Crawford, and Erie Counties
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 6th district
In office January 7, 1969 – November 30, 1970
Preceded by	District Created
Succeeded by	Harrison Haskell
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the Crawford County district
In office January 5, 1965 – November 30, 1968
Personal details
Born	(1939-11-21)November 21, 1939 Saint Charles, Missouri, U.S.
Died	January 22, 1987(1987-01-22) (aged 47) Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Joanne Dwyer
Relations	Rodney Dwyer, Jo Ashcroft (parents); Ross Dwyer, Logan Seaburg (grandchildren)
Children	Robert (Rob), Dyan (Deedee)
Alma mater	Allegheny College
Profession	Teacher, Politician

Robert "Budd" Dwyer (November 21, 1939 – January 22, 1987) was an American politician from the state of Pennsylvania. He served from 1971 to 1981 as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate representing the state's 50th district, and he served from 1981 until 1987 as the 30th Treasurer of Pennsylvania.

In the early 1980s, it had been discovered that Pennsylvanian government workers had overpaid federal taxes, and many accounting firms competed for a multimillion-dollar contract to calculate the amount to be repaid to each employee. Dwyer was convicted in 1986 of receiving a bribe from a Californian firm meant to persuade him to ensure that the company received the contract. He consistently maintained throughout his trial and after his conviction along with many others that he was completely innocent of this charge and that he had been framed.

On the morning of January 22, 1987, he committed suicide by shooting himself in the mouth with a revolver during a televised press conference at his office in Harrisburg, the state capital of Pennsylvania.

Career

Dwyer graduated from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania, where he was a member of the Beta Chi chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity. He went on to get his master's degree in fine arts and taught social studies and coached football at Cambridge Springs High School. A Republican, Dwyer served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 6th district (although seats were apportioned by county prior to 1969) from 1965 to 1970. He also served as a member of the Pennsylvania Senate from the 50th district from 1971 to 1981. After his tenure as a state senator, Dwyer moved on to the treasurer's office, a position he held up until his death.

Bribe controversy and guilty verdict

During the early 1980s, employees of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania overpaid millions of dollars in Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes. As a result, the state solicited bids from accounting firms to calculate the amount of the refund each employee was due.

One firm, the California-based Computer Technology Associates, was owned by a Harrisburg native named John Torquato, Jr., who used his area connections and a series of bribes to obtain the contract worth a reputed $4.6 million. Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh received a memo anonymously informing him of what had happened.

After an investigation by the United States Attorney, Dwyer was charged with and indicted for receiving a kickback of $300,000 in return for using his influence and office to steer the contract toward CTA. The US Attorney also indicted Torquato, Torquato's attorney William Smith, Smith's wife and former state Republican Party Chairman Robert Asher. In return for lighter penalties, Torquato and the Smiths pleaded guilty and testified on behalf of the government against Dwyer and Asher.

Dwyer had been offered a plea bargain on a single charge of bribe receiving that could have incarcerated him for a maximum of five years, but he refused it. Dwyer would have been required to resign his office and cooperate fully with the government's investigation. Instead, the government hobbled Dwyer's defense by refusing to name some unindicted co-conspirators believed to have been staff members of the Dauphin County Republican Party.

Dwyer was found guilty of receiving the bribe in December 1986. He continued to profess his innocence vehemently, as did others who were close to him. After being found guilty, Dwyer wrote to President Reagan asking for a presidential pardon. In his letter he wrote, "[President Reagan] you are the only one who can save my family and me from total unwarranted disaster ... this is an unusual and horrible situation and I have only 4 weeks until Doomsday."

Because of a loophole in Pennsylvania law, Dwyer continued serving as state treasurer until his sentencing by U.S. District Court judge Malcolm Muir. The maximum sentence Dwyer faced was 55 years imprisonment and a $300,000 fine. His co-defendant Asher received one year in jail. Asher later returned to politics, and served as a Republican National Committeeman for Pennsylvania.

Public suicide

On January 22, 1987, the day before his sentencing, Dwyer called a press conference to "provide an update on the situation". At the conference, an agitated and nervous Dwyer once again professed his innocence, and declared that he would not resign as state treasurer. Those attending heard his final words:

"I thank the good Lord for giving me 47 years of invigorating challenges, stimulating experiences, many happy occasions, and, most of all, the finest wife and children a man could ever desire.

Now my life has changed, for no apparent reason. People who call and write are exasperated and feel helpless. They know I'm innocent and want to help. But in this nation, the world's greatest democracy, there is nothing they can do to prevent me from being punished for a crime they know I did not commit. Some who have called have said that I am a modern day Job.

Judge Muir is also noted for his medieval sentences. I face a maximum sentence of 55 years in prison and a $300,000 fine for being innocent. Judge Demiria has already told the press that he, quote, "felt invigorated" when we were found guilty, and that he plans to imprison me as a deterrent to other public officials. But it wouldn't be a deterrent because every public official who knows me knows that I am innocent; it wouldn't be a legitimate punishment because I've done nothing wrong. Since I'm a victim of political persecution, my prison would simply be an American gulag.

I ask those that believe in me to continue to extend friendship and prayer to my family, to work untiringly for the creation of a true justice system here in the United States, and to press on with the efforts to vindicate me, so that my family and their future families are not tainted by this injustice that has been perpetrated on me. "

"We were confident that right and truth would prevail, and I would be acquitted and we would devote the rest of our lives working to create a justice system here in the United States. The guilty verdict has strengthened that resolve. But as we discuss our plans to exposes the warps of our legal system, people have said, "Why bother, no one cares." "You look foolish." "60 Minutes, 20/20, the ACLU, Jack Anders and other have been publicizing cases like yours for years and it doesn't bother anyone."

At this point, Dwyer stopped with his prepared text. The ending, which he did not read, read:

"I've repeatedly said that I'm not going to resign as State Treasurer. After many hours of thought and meditation I've made a decision that should not be an example to anyone because it is unique to my situation. Last May I told you that after the trial, I would give you the story of the decade. To those of you who are shallow, the events of this morning will be that story. But to those of you with depth and concern the real story will be what I hope and pray results from this morning--in the coming months and years, the development of a true Justice System here in the United States. I am going to die in office in an effort to "...see if the shame[-ful] facts, spread out in all their shame, will not burn through our civic shamelessness and set fire to American pride." Please tell my story on every radio and television station and in every newspaper and magazine in the U.S.. Please leave immediately if you have a weak stomach or mind since I don't want to cause physical or mental distress. Joanne, Rob, DeeDee - I love you! Thank you for making my life so happy. Good bye to you all on the count of 3. Please make sure that the sacrifice of my life is not in vain."

Having stopped reading, he called to three of his staffers, giving each an envelope. One of the envelopes contained a suicide note to his wife. The second contained an organ donor card and other related materials. The third contained a letter to Pennsylvania Governor Robert P. Casey, who had taken office only two days before.

Dwyer then withdrew a .357 Magnum revolver from a manila envelope, advising those in the crowd, "Please leave the room if this will offend you." Those in attendance cried out to Dwyer, pleading with him to put the gun down; "Budd, don't do this!", "Budd, this is not right!", and "Budd, listen to me!" can be heard off-screen. Upon seeing the gun some ran out of the room to get help while others tried to approach him. "Don't, don't, don't, this will hurt someone," he warned. Amid the cries of "Budd! Don't do it!" Dwyer put the gun barrel into his mouth and pulled the trigger. He collapsed against a wall in a sitting position, blood pouring from his nose and an exit wound at the top of his head, all in front of five television news cameras while witnesses were screaming and using profanity in shock. Dwyer was declared dead at the scene at 11:31 a.m. EST. Dwyer was buried in Blooming Valley Cemetery in Blooming Valley, Pennsylvania.

Aftermath

A number of television stations throughout Pennsylvania aired taped footage of Dwyer's suicide to a midday audience. The most graphic noon newscast, aired by local station WPVI (Channel 6), showed Dwyer pulling the trigger, then falling backwards, but did not show the bullet entering or leaving his head. Over the next several hours and into the evening, news editors had to decide how much of the graphic footage to air, and where precisely to cut the shot.

Many stations, including WCAU and Pennsylvania's Group W stations KYW and KDKA, froze the action just prior to the gunfire. KDKA-TV and KYW-TV both chose this approach, and allowed the audio of the shooting to continue under the frozen image. Group W's news cameraman William L. "Bill" Martin and reporter David Sollenberger—based in the Harrisburg state capitol's Correspondents Room—had a camera set up at the news conference and chose not to air the actual footage, choosing instead to air the audio with a freeze frame of the gun in Dwyer's mouth. Only a handful aired the entire press conference unedited. WPVI in Philadelphia was one station that chose to re-broadcast the suicide footage in full on their 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Action News broadcasts without a warning to viewers. That station's broadcast is a source for copies circulating on the Internet. WPXI in Pittsburgh is reported by the Associated Press to have broadcast the footage uncensored on an early newscast. In explaining the decision to air, WPXI news operations manager By Williams said, "It's an important event [about] an important man." Williams opted not to air the footage in the evening newscasts, explaining, "Everyone knows by then that he did it. There are children out of school."

The broadcast of Dwyer's suicide became a topic for educators in Pennsylvania classrooms and led to questions regarding the wisdom of airing live news broadcasts in public school settings. This issue was also raised following the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger and the Branch Davidian Siege in Waco, TX, events which were shown live in many classrooms.

Children, however, responded to the event by creating a cycle of black comedy jokes similar to those that circulated after the Challenger disaster. A study of the incidence of these jokes showed that they were told only in areas of Pennsylvania where uncensored footage of the press conference had been shown by networks.

In contrast, at least one reporter present at Dwyer's suicide suffered ill effects from being a firsthand witness. Tony Romeo was a radio reporter standing a few feet away from Dwyer when he pulled the trigger, and the event led to Romeo developing depression and taking a break from journalism.

Since Dwyer died in office before being removed upon sentencing, his widow, Joanne, was able to collect full survivor benefits totaling over $1.28 million. A spokesman for Dwyer, immediately after the suicide, suggested Dwyer may have killed himself to retain the state-provided pension for his household, which had been ruined by legal defense costs.

Evidence of Dwyer's death remains in the Treasurer's office. The wall in front of which Dwyer was standing when he pulled the trigger has an obvious bullet hole. The hole was puttied and stained, but is still very visible. Catherine Baker Knoll, who held the Treasurer's office from 1989 to 1997, remarked about it in 1996, "I look at that bullet hole every day...."

In media

In Bam Margera's Cky video series, a small indent is seen before many of the introductions, showing an image of Dwyer with the gun in his mouth, accompanied by the sound of a gun firing.

Honest Man, a full-length feature documentary about the life of Budd Dwyer has been completed. A trailer for the film has been released on the official website, which also includes numerous pictures of Dwyer that hadn't been released before.

"Hey Man, Nice Shot", a song by the band Filter (band) (1995) was confirmed in a May, 1996 interview with the band to be about the events surrounding Dwyer's televised suicide.

Bibliography

Notes

References

• Grossman, Mark (2003). Political corruption in America: an encyclopedia of scandals, power, and greed (2003 ed.). ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1576070603. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help) - Total pages: 466

External links

• Video of the suicide
• Trailer for "Honest Man: The Life of R.Budd Dwyer", a documentary about Budd Dwyer's life and death
• "Sins of Our Fathers" by William Keisling and Richard Kearns
• Modern Television Budd Dwyer
• R. Budd Dwyer at Find a Grave
• R. Budd Dwyer at IMDb
• Honest Man: The Life of R. Budd Dwyer official site