Charles Whitman and the 1966 University of Texas Tower Massacre
Background
Charles Joseph Whitman was a 25-year-old former United States Marine and engineering student who committed one of the most infamous mass murders in American history. On August 1, 1966, Whitman killed his mother and wife before entering the Main Building at the University of Texas at Austin with a large collection of firearms, ammunition, food, water, and other supplies. After murdering and wounding several people inside the building, he reached the observation deck of the university's 307-foot tower and fired at people across the campus and surrounding streets.
The attack lasted approximately 96 minutes and transformed the center of Austin into a sprawling field of gunfire. Students, university employees, police officers, motorists, pedestrians, and people attempting to rescue the wounded were exposed to shots fired from far above them. Whitman killed or fatally wounded 15 people at the university, including an unborn child, and injured more than 30 others. When the earlier murders of his mother and wife are included, 17 deaths are attributed to Whitman. The total includes David Gunby, whose 2001 death was officially classified as a homicide resulting from the injuries he suffered in 1966.
Whitman's Early Life and Military Service
Whitman was born on June 24, 1941, in Lake Worth, Florida. He was raised in a strict household dominated by his father, Charles Adolphus Whitman Jr. Accounts of Whitman's childhood described his father as controlling and physically abusive toward members of the family. Whitman was considered intelligent and mechanically skilled, and he became one of the youngest Eagle Scouts in the country at the time.
Whitman enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1959. He qualified as a skilled marksman and later received a military scholarship to attend the University of Texas. His academic performance declined, however, and the scholarship was withdrawn. Whitman returned to active military service, where he received disciplinary action for gambling, possessing a privately owned firearm without authorization, and threatening another Marine over a debt. He was honorably discharged in December 1964 and returned to Austin with his wife, Kathleen.
Marriage and Growing Psychological Distress
Whitman married Kathleen Frances Leissner in August 1962. Kathleen, commonly called Kathy, worked as a teacher while Whitman continued his education and held several jobs. Friends often viewed the couple as affectionate and outwardly stable, but Whitman privately struggled with intense anger, headaches, emotional instability, financial pressure, and violent thoughts.
On March 29, 1966, Whitman met with University of Texas psychiatrist Dr. Maurice Heatly. During the session, Whitman reportedly described violent impulses and mentioned thoughts of going to the tower with a rifle and shooting people. Heatly recorded the disturbing statement in his notes, but Whitman did not return for additional treatment. The meeting later became one of the most heavily examined warning signs preceding the massacre.
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