Dan White

Dan White
United Press International · Public domain · source
Name	Dan White
Birth date	September 2, 1946
Birth place	Long Island, New York
Death date	October 21, 1985
Death place	San Francisco, California
Party	Democratic

Dan White was an American politician who served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 1978 until his resignation in 1978. He is infamous for the assassination of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist, at San Francisco City Hall on November 27, 1978. White's actions were widely condemned by the LGBT community, including Gay Men's Chorus, Human Rights Campaign, and GLAAD. The event sparked the White Night Riot, a protest against the lenient sentence given to White, which was supported by California State Assembly members like Willie Brown and Dianne Feinstein.

● Early Life and Education

Dan White was born on Long Island, New York, to a family of Irish-American descent, similar to John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. He attended Dartmouth College and later joined the United States Army, serving in the Vietnam War alongside John McCain and Chuck Hagel. After his military service, White moved to San Francisco, where he became a San Francisco Police Department officer, working with San Francisco Sheriff's Department and FBI agents like J. Edgar Hoover. He later worked as a firefighter for the San Francisco Fire Department, responding to emergencies with American Red Cross and San Francisco General Hospital.

● Political Career

White's entry into politics began when he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, representing District 8, which included the Castro District, a hub for the LGBT community and home to the Harvey Milk Plaza. He was supported by San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner during his campaign, and he worked with other supervisors like Dianne Feinstein and Quentin Kopp. White's political views were conservative, and he often clashed with more liberal supervisors, including Harvey Milk and Carol Ruth Silver, who were allies of California State Senator John Burton.

● Assassination of Harvey Milk and George

Moscone On November 27, 1978, White assassinated Harvey Milk and George Moscone at San Francisco City Hall, shocking the city and the nation, with reactions from President Jimmy Carter, Nancy Pelosi, and Gerald Ford. The event was widely condemned by gay rights activists, including Larry Kramer, ACT UP, and Human Rights Campaign, as well as by politicians like Ted Kennedy and Barbara Boxer. The assassinations led to widespread protests and calls for justice, with support from ACLU, NOW, and Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

● Trial and Verdict

White's trial began in April 1979, with Douglas Schmidt as the prosecutor, and it was widely covered by the media, including CNN, NBC News, and The New York Times. The defense team, led by Douglas R. Schmidt and Stephen J. Schatz, argued that White was suffering from diminished capacity due to depression and mental health issues, which was supported by American Psychiatric Association and National Institute of Mental Health. On May 21, 1979, the jury delivered a verdict of voluntary manslaughter, rather than murder, sparking outrage and protests from the LGBT community, including Gay Men's Chorus, Lesbian Avengers, and Queer Nation, as well as from politicians like Dianne Feinstein and Nancy Pelosi.

● Aftermath and Later Life

The lenient sentence given to White sparked the White Night Riot on May 21, 1979, with protests and demonstrations in San Francisco and other cities, including New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago, supported by ACLU, NOW, and Southern Christian Leadership Conference. White served approximately five years in prison before being released on January 6, 1984, and later moved to Los Angeles, where he struggled with mental health issues, similar to John Hinckley Jr. and Mark David Chapman. He died on October 21, 1985, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, with reactions from San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein and California Governor George Deukmejian.

● Legacy

The assassination of Harvey Milk and George Moscone had a profound impact on the LGBT rights movement, with increased activism and advocacy from organizations like Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD, and The Trevor Project, as well as from politicians like Barney Frank and Tammy Baldwin. The event also led to changes in California law, including the passage of AB 1160, which allowed California to impose stricter sentencing guidelines, supported by California State Assembly members like Willie Brown and John Burton. Today, Harvey Milk Plaza in the Castro District serves as a memorial to the slain supervisor, and San Francisco City Hall has been renamed the George Moscone Convention Center in honor of the former mayor, with support from San Francisco Board of Supervisors and California State Senate.