John Dukakis was born John A. Chaffetz in San Jose, California, but reared in the Boston area. He is the son of Kitty Dukakis and John Chaffetz, a businessman, and the adopted son of former Massachusetts Governor and 1988 Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis, whom his mother married when he was five. His half-brother, through his biological father, is Jason Chaffetz, who was the U.S. Representative (R) for Utah's 3rd district from 2009 to 2017. He has been married his wife, Lisa, since 1988. He has one daughter, Alexandra Jane Dukakis
