| Birth: | Sep. 2, 1946 | | Death: | Oct. 21, 1985
San Francisco
San Francisco County
California, USA | 
Dan White had been a paratrooper in Vietnam. When he returned home to San Francisco in 1969 he joined the San Francisco Police Department. In 1973 he left the force and joined the fire department where he won many awards for bravery. In 1977 he ran for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and won. The following year he resigned, saying that he could not live on the $9,600 he recieved. When he tried to rescind his resignation, fellow Supervisor and gay activest Harvey Milk adamantly opposed White's return. On the day that Mayor George Moscone was going to announce White's replacement, Dan White came a-calling, and with him he brought a .38 caliber revolver. He entered City Hall through the basement and when he found Moscone and Milk, he shot them to death. Dan White had been a highly decorated soldier, policeman and fireman, but that is not what he will be remembered for. History will remember Dan White as the 'junk food assassin' who claimed that his 'diminished capacity' was indicated by the fact that he, a formerly health-conscious individual, had turned to eating twinkies because he was clinically depressed. Thus became 'The Twinkie Defense'. White was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and served five years in Soledad State Prison. On October 21, 1985, less than two years after being paroled, Dan White entered his San Francisco garage, hooked a rubber hose to his car's exhaust pipe and expired from carbon monoxide poisoning. His upright marker reads 'Daniel J. White (1946-October 21, 1985), Sgt. U.S.Army, Vietnam.'
Cause of death: Suicide
Search Amazon for Dan White | | | Burial:
Golden Gate National Cemetery
San Bruno
San Mateo County
California, USA
Plot: Section C, Marker 5064 |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Record added: Sep 17, 1998
Find A Grave Memorial# 3579 |
|
|
|
 The Virtual Flowers feature has been turned off for this memorial because it was being continually misused.
|
|
Do you have a photo to add? Click here |
(3.3 after 74 votes)
