R. Budd Dwyer

"Budd Dwyer" redirects here. Not to be confused with Buddy Dyer.

R. Budd Dwyer
Dwyer c. 1977
70th Treasurer of Pennsylvania
In office
January 20, 1981 – January 22, 1987
Governor
Preceded byRobert E. Casey
Succeeded byG. Davis Greene Jr.
Member of the Pennsylvania Senate
from the 50th district
In office
January 5, 1971 – January 20, 1981[1]
Preceded byJames Willard
Succeeded byRoy Wilt
ConstituencyParts of Mercer, Crawford, and Erie Counties[2]
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the 6th district
In office
January 7, 1969 – November 30, 1970
Preceded byDistrict created
Succeeded byHarrison Haskell
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from the Crawford County district
In office
January 5, 1965 – November 30, 1968
Personal details
Born
Robert Budd Dwyer

(1939-11-21)November 21, 1939
St. Charles, Missouri, U.S.
DiedJanuary 22, 1987(1987-01-22) (aged 47)
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Cause of deathSuicide by gunshot
Political partyRepublican
Children2
Alma materAllegheny College
ProfessionPolitician, teacher
Known forCommitting suicide on live television
Criminal information
Criminal statusDeceased
Conviction(s)
Date apprehended
October 22, 1984

Robert Budd Dwyer (November 21, 1939 – January 22, 1987) was an American politician. He served from 1965 to 1971 as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and from 1971 to 1981 as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate representing the state's 50th district. Dwyer then served as the 70th state treasurer of Pennsylvania from January 20, 1981, until January 22, 1987, when he killed himself during a press conference.

During the early 1980s, Pennsylvania discovered that its state workers had overpaid federal taxes due to errors in state withholding before Dwyer's administration. A multimillion-dollar recovery contract was required to determine the compensation to be given to each employee. In 1986, Dwyer was convicted of accepting a bribe from Computer Technology Associates, a California-based company, to award them the contract. He was found guilty on 11 counts of conspiracy, mail fraud, perjury, and interstate transportation in aid of racketeering, and was scheduled to be sentenced on January 23, 1987.[5] On January 22, Dwyer arranged a news conference in the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building in Harrisburg, during which he fatally shot himself with a .357 Magnum revolver in the presence of reporters. Dwyer's suicide was live broadcast to many television viewers in Pennsylvania.

All posthumous appeals made by Dwyer's lawyers on Dwyer's behalf were denied, and his convictions were sustained.[6][7] Along with Barbara Hafer and Rob McCord, Dwyer is one of three former Pennsylvania State treasurers to be convicted of corruption since the 1980s.[8][9][10]

  1. ^ Cox, Harold (2004). "Pennsylvania Senate – 1981–1981" (PDF). Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.
  2. ^ Cox, Harold. "Senate Members "D"". Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.
  3. ^ Cox, Harold. "House Members "D"". Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Zimmerman was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Six Years After Suicide, New Trial Sought To Clear Budd Dwyer". Associated Press. July 26, 1993. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  6. ^ "United States v. Dwyer, 654 F. Supp. 1254 (M.D. Pa. 1987)". Justia Law. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  7. ^ "United States of America v. Dwyer, R. Budd, Appellant, 855 F.2d 144 (3d Cir. 1988)". Justia Law. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  8. ^ "Former Pennsylvania treasurer Barbara Hafer sentenced for lying to FBI".
  9. ^ "Not again! Barbara Hafer is the third state treasurer to be indicted since the '80s". July 21, 2016.
  10. ^ "Day of reckoning: Disgraced ex-Pa. Treasurer Rob McCord faces possible jail time". August 27, 2018.