Edward King, 81; Former Massachusetts Governor

Former Gov. Edward King, a conservative Democrat who defeated then-Gov. Michael Dukakis in a primary challenge in 1978, then lost a rematch four years later, died Monday. He was 81.

King had three brain surgeries this year. He twice had emergency surgery in March to relieve pressure from blood pooling near his brain after a fall at his Miami-area home, an incident that required 24 days in the hospital.

He fell again this month at his family’s home in Middleton, Mass. and failed to recover from the subsequent surgery. He died at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass., with his family at his side, the clinic said.

“We were competitors, we were rivals, but he was someone who worked at his job very, very hard,” Dukakis said.

Behind the slogan “Make It in Massachusetts,” King mounted a successful pro-business, tax-cutting challenge to Dukakis, winning by more than 100,000 votes in the 1978 Democratic primary.

Winning the general election, King froze property taxes, reduced state spending on social programs and undertook a variety of efforts to encourage business and agriculture.

King also took a tough stance on crime, introducing mandatory minimum sentences and getting voters to back a constitutional amendment to restore capital punishment. The state’s highest court later ruled part of the law unconstitutional.

King’s term was also troubled, as his administration faced charges of corruption, cronyism and incompetence.

High-level appointees resigned for falsifying academic credentials and for being tied to organized crime.

With liberals mobilized against King, Dukakis beat him in a 1982 primary rematch and won a second term that November.

Dukakis became the Democratic presidential nominee in 1988, losing to then-Vice President George H.W. Bush.

Meanwhile, King switched to the GOP in 1985, saying the Democrats had “ceased to be the party of the sensible center.”

Born in Chelsea, Mass., King graduated from Boston College and played professional football with the Buffalo Bills of the All-America Football Conference and with the original incarnation of the Baltimore Colts during that team’s one season in the NFL.

After leaving office, King joined the public relations firm Hill & Knowlton and was involved in real estate development.

King’s wife, Josephine, died in 1995. He is survived by two sons, Timothy and Brian.