TikTok has become a time capsule of events, revisiting the darkest fragments of history. And now, it has excavated the most gruesome press conference ever.
The day was January 22, 1987. Hoard of reporters assembled in a closed room. The camera shutters were opened, and pens were clicking. And then entered men clad in suits, and all eyes shifted to them.
After the memos for the conference were passed on to the reporters, one man stood on the podium to read a lengthy statement. The reporters expected a standard political conference, where the subject usually announced their resignations or put out an official statement on the ongoing cases. But the aura in the room was peculiar.
The man on the podium was saying things that could have been interpreted in a million different ways, but only he knew the truth. After the grueling hours, some reporters were preparing to leave, but the man requested a last consideration.
But what nobody expected was the end…that ended with the most disturbing sound on national television.
Budd Dwyer finished his statement, handed sealed envelopes to the staffers, and then pulled out a manila envelope. He proceeded to take out a gun from the envelope and pull the trigger on himself. There was nothing more to explain or hear from the man as he lay lifeless.
What prompted him to take such drastic action? What were his intentions? Did his death convey the message that he wanted the world to know? Let us navigate through the days leading up to Budd Dwyer’s death.
Who Was R. Budd Dwyer?
Robert Budd Dwyer was born in St. Charles, Missouri, on November 21, 1931. He earned his degree from Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania. But his true persona belonged in politics.
By 1964, he was ready to start his political career at just 25, running as a Republican. His demeanor, conduct, confidence, and capability earned him a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
After serving six years, he contested a seat in the Pennsylvania State Senate in 1970. With a staggering win, he served as a senator and even won reelection twice after his tenure.
In 1980, with reliable credentials, he ran for Pennsylvania treasurer, winning reelection again four years later. So in total, he served during the entire 80s. That was up until his last days in 1987.
What Did Budd Dwyer Do?
The root begins before Mr. Dwyer assumed the position of Treasurer. The state government of Pennsylvania was already in hot waters due to the piling error in tax filings. In a difficult-to-digest discovery, officials recorded an unaccounted surplus as the state workers had overpaid millions of dollars in Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes, responsible for Social Security and Medicare. The mistake stemmed from the errors in withholding; basically, the state messed up.
But this was a fantastic window of opportunity for accounting firms to acquire the “multi-million-dollar recovery contract,” estimated at $4.6 million (let that sink in). And thus began the dog-eat-dog fight for the contract.
But who will be the main man for these firms to get the job? The Treasurer! Budd Dwyer became the man of the hour.
However, this title turned out to be a curse for him. In 1986, Dwyer was accused of taking bribes from a California-based firm, Computer Technology Associates, in a quid pro quo deal for the contract.
He vehemently denied all these allegations, stating that he has been embroiled by corrupt politicians. The state offered him a plea deal with three conditions–
- Serve a five-year sentence for the charge of bribery
- Resign from his position
- Show cooperation in the investigation
Dwyer stood by his stance of being innocent and rejected the plea deal, implying that he was guilty if he accepted the deal. He was confident in the justice system to make the right decision. However, he was met with further disappointment when the jury decided that he was guilty of the following charges–
- 11 counts of perjury
- Conspiracy
- Mail fraud
- Interstate transportation with the aid of racketeering
He was sentenced to 55 years in prison with a fine of $300,000 on January 23, 1987. But he never served a day of this sentence, as he killed himself a day before with the entire nation as witnesses.
Why Did Budd Dwyer Kill Himself?
Cut to the day before the unfateful day– Dwyer summoned his press secretary, James Horshock. He asked Horshock to arrange a press conference with local reporters. As a press secretary, he was under the impression that Dwyer was about to put forth his statement regarding the allegations and announce his resignation.
On the day of the press conference–
Dwyer prepared his statement worth 20 pages and distributed the copies among the press. But his original had 21 pages in it.
He began his speech, leaving the reporters conflicted about what he was trying to convey. But there was no denying that he was pretty vulnerable at that point, as he said–
“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.”
Even when his entire life was at stake, he maintained that he was innocent of these allegations. At one point, the television crew started booking out of the press conference while he was still reading his statement. Dwyer requested them to stay by saying– “Those of you who are putting your cameras away, I think you ought to stay because we’re not, we’re not finished yet.” Even though this is a generic statement, the vibe still felt eerie.
But the reporters got confused when he finished his speech on the last page that nobody knew– “Joanne, Rob, DeeDee – I love you! Thank you for making my life so happy. Goodbye to you all on the count of 3. Please make sure that the sacrifice of my life is not in vain.”
And no one in a million years would have imagined what ensued after this. Dwyer handed sealed envelopes to the staffers– one addressed to the Pennsylvania Governor, one contained an organ donor card, and the last was for his family, one each for his wife and two children. He then pulled out a different Manila envelope.
The spectators went berserk when they saw him taking out a model 19 .357 Magnum Revolver. For his last step, he put the gun in his mouth, and the screens went blank. Contrary to popular belief, none of the TV stations aired the act of him pulling the trigger. But those present at the venue could never erase the moments when a man killed himself right before their eyes.
Horshock was left in utter shock at the turn of events, as he told the Pittsburg Press– “I had to make it known that I was not aware of the content of the statement. I didn’t want it to be thought that I wrote that for him.”
Two Decades Later
A documentary called “Honest Man: The Life of R. Budd Dwyer” was released in 2010. The discourse started on why a man would kill himself.
Was it because he was ashamed that his misdeeds had been exposed?
Was it the guilt of letting his family down? Or was he in despair, considering how the justice system failed him?
His sister Mary Kun said in the documentary that his brother was framed and wrongly accused due to blithering corruption.
In the press conference, Dwyer was pleading for his words to reach everyone–
“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.”
There are two inferences; take it however you want–
First, he was desperate to put forth his truth, as no one would listen to his stance.
Second, this may have been his last attempt to get his family compensation. According to the law, his family could collect his death benefits since he died in office before he was sentenced. Apparently, they received up to 1.28 million USD.
But to state our honest take, it seemed that Dwyer was entrapped in a corrupt system as a scapegoat, being falsely accused of bribery. Here’s why we are leaning toward this argument that Dwyer was innocent–
William T. Smith, a former chairman of the Dauphin County Republican Committee and one of the key trial witnesses in Dwyer’s conviction, said in the documentary that he lied under oath. He lied about never offering Dwyer a bribe so that his sentence would be reduced and his wife would be spencers from prosecution for being an accessory in the conspiracy.
But passing the baton to you. What is your verdict? Do you think Dwyer was completely unaware of the corruption?
Was he a mere scapegoat, or did he actually take bribes? Let us know in the comments section below.