An "Honest Man" or Guilty Politician?

The British parliamentarian and political leader Oliver Cromwell once said, “a few honest men are better than none”. With the recent political scandals that have rocked the state capital in Harrisburg, the question has been posed if Cromwell’s words still hold true in the Commonwealth today? Can a few honest men clean up the injustices in Harrisburg, as governor-elect Tom Corbett campaigned? Or can honest men be easily corrupted by offers of easy money or power?

Such is the question being posed this week by amateur New York filmmaker James Dirschberger as he presented his new documentary Honest Man: The Life of R. Budd Dwyer at Harrisburg’s Midtown Cinema, which tells the tragic story of former Pennsylvania State Treasurer Robert “Budd” Dwyer, who was convicted of bribery in 1987 before taking his own life. Though universally recognized as just another guilty state representative unwilling to take responsibility for his actions, Dirschberger’s film, which includes archival footage and interviews with some of those closest to Dwyer including a rare interview with Dwyer’s widow Joanne who recently passed away in 2009, tries to present Dwyer in a different light. By all accounts, Dwyer was one of the most forthright and honest men in the Capital City. However, controversy over Dwyer’s guilt or innocents has remained even as Dwyer’s very public death has been immortalized in popular culture in everything from music to YouTube. (To read more about the new documentary about R. Budd Dwyer from Penn Live.com, click here)

The story of Dwyer’s tragic downfall begins at the start of his term when it was reported that state employees had overpaid millions of dollars in Federal insurance taxes. The Federal government issued a full refund and Dwyer was charged with finding a company who could calculate the amount of the refund each employee was due. This rich state contract, reportedly worth about $4.6 million, was eventually awarded to a California-based company called Computer Technology Associates (CTA). However, it was later reported in the media that Harrisburg native and CTA founder John Torquato Jr. had used his area connections and a series of bribes to obtain the contract. Following a yearlong investigation by the US Attorney’s office, Dwyer was indicted for receiving a $300,000 bribe in return for steer the contract toward CTA. The US Attorney also indicted Torquato, Torquato's attorney William T. Smith, and former state Republican Party Chairman Robert Asher. In return for lighter penalties, Torquato and Smith agreed to pleaded guilty and testified on behalf of the government against Dwyer and Asher.

Central to Dirschberger’s film is an interview with the 73-year-old Smith, who testified during Dwyer’s trial that the state treasurer had agreed to take the bribe when he met with him. However, Federal prosecutors could find no evidence that money had actually changed hands. For his part, Dwyer steadfastly maintained that he was innocent and that he was the victim of a frame-up. He even went so far as to write to then President Ronald Reagan, begging him for a presidential pardon. In the interview with Dirschberger, Smith admitted that he lied about the bribe under oath. “He’s dead because of me,” Smith said of Dwyer. “To the day I die, I’ll regret that I did it.” But the Smith’s credibility is open to question. He’s changed his story many times in the Dwyer case, and is currently facing more prison time for his involvement in a recent investment scam. Despite the inconsistencies in Smith’s story, many of Dwyer’s friends and surviving family have maintained that his taking of bribes did not fit his personality. Even the films creator has to agree, that the accusations of bribery are odd. “I couldn’t even find a speeding ticket on his record,” remarked Dirschberger during an interview with the Patriot-News. (To visit the offical website for the "Honest Man" documentary, click here)

Prior to become a pubic servent, Dwyer had taught high school social studies and coached football at Cambridge Springs High School in Crawford County. He was elected to the State House of Representatives in 1965 and was later chosen to the State Senate in 1971. In 1981, he campaigned for the office of State Treasurer in an odd election that pitted him against a little-known ice cream parlor owner named Robert P. Casey. Though bearing no connection to outgoing State Auditor General and future Pennsylvania governor Robert “Bob” Casey Sr., this new Robert Casey became a major problem for the Dwyer campaign and forced them to institute an almost laughable “Casey isn’t Casey” voter education drive (that in the end proved successful) as voter assumed their vote was going to popular Pennsylvania politician of the same name.

As State Treasurer, Dwyer helped to modernize the Commonwealth’s coffers though his real claim to fame would be the bizarre press conference he held on the morning of January 22, 1987. Despite the fact that Dwyer had been found guilty of bribery, a loophole in Pennsylvania state law allowed him to continue serving until his sentencing. That morning, Dwyer called a press conference to "provide an update on the situation." Many of the reporters and staffers who came expected Dwyer to resign. At the conference, an agitated and nervous Dwyer once again professed his innocence, and declared that he would not resign as state treasurer. Towards the end of his rambling and emotional speech, Dwyer called on three staffers, giving each an envelope. One of the envelopes contained a suicide note to his wife. The second contained an organ donor card along with other related materials. The third contained a letter of apology to Governor Bob Casey Sr., who had taken office only two days before.

Dwyer then produced a .357 Magnum revolver from a manila envelope he had been keeping in his briefcase, advising those in the crowd, "Please leave the room if this will offend you." Upon seeing the gun some of the audience ran out of the room to get help while others tried to approach Dwyer, begging him to put the gun down. "Don't, don't, don't, this will hurt someone," he warned, before put the gun barrel into his mouth and pulling the trigger. Some have made the argument that Dwyer killed himself because he was an innocent man who had no other option left open. However, Dirschberger believes that Dwyer might have decided to kill himself while still in office because he wanted to preserve his state pension for his wife and children. “It’s really hard to find the complete answer to why he did it,” Dischberger said in a published interview, “but it does seem he was very concerned about not losing [his state] pension, which would have happened had he resigned or gone to prison.” Since Dwyer died in office, his widow was still eligible to receive her husband’s full pension, which numbered around $1.28 million.

In the aftermath of Dwyer’s death, a number of television stations throughout Pennsylvania aired the unedited footage of his suicide to a midday news audience, including students at home enjoying a January snow day. The broadcasts became a hot topic for educators in Pennsylvania classrooms and led to questions regarding the wisdom of airing live news broadcasts in public school settings. Evidence of Dwyer's death remains in the Treasurer's office even to this day. The wall in front of which Dwyer was standing when he pulled the trigger still contains an obvious bullet hole. Catherine Baker Knoll, who held the Treasurer's office from 1989 to 1997, remarked about it in a 1996 interview, "I look at that bullet hole every day...."

Twenty-three years later, Dwyer’s final moments can be viewed, uncensored, on dozens of websites like YouTube and has served as a lighting rod for controversy over suicide, censorship, and honesty in politics. Even the hard rock band Filter admitted that Dwyer’s suicide was the inspiration behind their 1995 hit, “Hey Man, Nice Shot”, though they stress that the song is not an attempt to glorify suicide. However, despite all the misconceptions and controversy, Dirschberger hopes his film will help educate people more about the strange footage above anything else. “That to me is the point of this film,” Dirschberger said. “To educate people and give some contest to a story that has no context, so it’s not just a random bit of film floating around the Internet.”

If you have gone to see Honest Man: The Life of R. Budd Dwyer  or remember where you where during the 1987 death of Mr. Dwyer please feel free to share your impressions of the film or memories with the History Examiner.

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