Suicide of R. Budd Dwyer
On January 22, 1987, R. Budd Dwyer, the 70th Treasurer of Pennsylvania, committed suicide during a press conference in his office in the Pennsylvania Finance Building. His suicide was broadcast to many television viewers throughout Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley. 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.
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