Dan White (1946–1985) was a politician and public servant, who is most famous for assassinating both George Moscone and Harvey Milk in November 1978.

White served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. After in which, White was part of the San Francisco police force as a police officer and later in the San Francisco Fire Department as a fireman.

White was elected to the Board Of Supervisors in San Francisco, and then resigned. He then attempted to be readmitted to the Board, saying he had changed his mind. When Moscone refused the request, White became frustrated and depressed. He then returned to city hall through a basement entrance, and assassinated both Moscone and Milk. White was acquitted for the actions, using the Twinkie Defense, in which he claimed insanity and depression due to his poor diet leading up to the killings.

White served five years of his seven-year sentence at Soledad State Prison and was paroled on January 7, 1984. White later committed suicide on October 21, 1985 in San Francisco. He is buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California.

In the film Milk (2008), White is played by Josh Brolin.

See also

Edit tags