About Dan White
Daniel James White (September 2, 1946 – October 21, 1985) was an American politician who assassinated George Moscone, the 37th mayor of San Francisco, and Harvey Milk, a fellow member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, inside San Francisco City Hall on November 27, 1978. During trial his lawyers argued, controversially, that White did not have the mental capacity required to be found guilty of murder, due to his depression as evidenced by his consumption of junk food. White was convicted, not of murder, but on two counts of voluntary manslaughter and served five years of a seven-year and eight-month prison sentence. Less than two years after his release, he returned to San Francisco and later died by suicide. By the end of his tenure, White held a mixed record on gay rights. The film depicted White from his first meeting with Milk up to and including Milk's death. When the prosecution played a recording of White's confession, several jurors wept as they listened to what was described as "a man pushed beyond his endurance".
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.