George S. Kariotis (February 22, 1923 – July 7, 2013) was an American businessman who was the

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nominee for

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in 1986. Kariotis was born on February 22, 1923. He was the son of

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immigrants. He graduated from

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in 1940, and then served in the

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during

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. In 1962, he founded Alpha Industries, a manufacturer of microwave components. He was Massachusetts Secretary of Economic Affairs from 1979 to 1983 under governor

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. King was a conservative

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during his time in office who later became Republican. Kariotis ran a write-in campaign in the 1986 Republican primary for Massachusetts governor, and finished third with 17% of the vote. He became the nominee when the two candidates who finished ahead of him Royall H. Switzler and Greg Hyatt both withdrew from the race due to personal scandals. In the

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, he was defeated by

Michael Dukakis Michael Stanley Dukakis (; born November 3, 1933) is an American retired lawyer and politician who served as governor of Massachusetts from 1975 to 1979 and again from 1983 to 1991. He is the longest-serving governor in Massachusetts history a ...

, also

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, by a margin of 69% to 31%. Kariotis was a major donor to Northeastern University and an emeritus vice-chairman of the university's board of trustees.

Death

Kariotis, 90, died in his sleep on July 7, 2013 at his home in Eastham, Massachusetts. In his later years, he had divided his time between Eastham and

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, Florida.

References

*Fox Butterfield, ''New Candidate Raises Questions for G.O.P. in Massachusetts''.

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, July 26, 1986 (subscription required for Web access).
Northeastern University alumni list
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kariotis, George 1923 births 2013 deaths United States Navy personnel of World War II State cabinet secretaries of Massachusetts Massachusetts Republicans American politicians of Greek descent American businesspeople Northeastern University alumni People from Eastham, Massachusetts People from Marco Island, Florida