About R. Budd Dwyer
Robert Budd Dwyer (November 21, 1939 – January 22, 1987) was an American politician who served as the 70th treasurer of Pennsylvania from 1981 until his suicide in 1987. A member of the Republican Party, he also served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the Pennsylvania State Senate from 1971 to 1981, representing the state's 50th district. While serving as state treasurer in 1984, Dwyer awarded a $4.6 million contract to data processing company Computer Technology Associates (CTA) to help compensate Pennsylvania employees who overpaid federal taxes because of errors in state withholding. An investigation determined Dwyer accepted a bribe to give CTA the contract over more experienced and less expensive competitors, which would have resulted in Pennsylvania losing $6 million if the scheme was successful. He was found guilty in December 1986 on 11 counts of conspiracy, mail fraud, perjury, and interstate transportation in aid of racketeering, which carried a maximum sentence of 55 years. The day before his sentencing, Dwyer arranged a press conference in his office and shot himself in the presence of reporters. His suicide was broadcast to many television viewers throughout Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley. Dwyer maintained his innocence until his death. His lawyers made posthumous appeals on his behalf, but all were denied and his convictions were sustained. Along with Barbara Hafer and Rob McCord, Dwyer is one of three former Pennsylvania State treasurers to be convicted of corruption since the 1980s. During the early 1980s, Pennsylvania discovered that its state workers had overpaid federal taxes due to errors in state withholding before Dwyer's administration. Dwyer committed suicide by gunshot during a press conference.
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