Tom Philpott

Thomas Lee Philpott (January 21, 1942 – October 9, 1991) was an American professor of history at the University of Texas who focused on urban history. He was also known for his independent research into child prostitution.

Early life and education Philpott was born on January 21, 1942, in Chicago, Illinois, and was of Irish ancestry. His maternal grandfather had come to the United States to join his brother and sister in the city. Philpott and his colleague Dr. Standish Meacham walked out. Both Meacham and Philpott would state that they did not intend to walk out and did not do so as a protest of Bundy, but instead because of heavy-handed treatment by campus police and administrators of student protesters during the commencement. A few professors claimed that they believed their pay cuts were due to union organization with the Texas Association of College Teachers, which sought pay raises for staff, Rogers would claim that the cut was "purely a coincidence". The appointees included Briscoe's close political allies and his personal physician. Many critics had concerns about conflicts of interest, as one appointee, Jess Hay, had represented Southern Methodist University and was on their board of governors.

Philpott would run a drive to block the confirmation by the state Senate through circulating a petition to faculty and students and providing backgrounds of the candidates to senators.

Research into child prostitution Philpott's research into child prostitution began in 1979, following a film John Kellis, a student of his, had created titled Boys for Sale. After Philpott watched the film, he began spending weekends observing and interviewing boy hustlers in Houston. It was a two-part series on the abuse of male youths in prostitution. Philpott claimed that he found abuse of children frequently resulting in death, estimating that thousands of youths were killed annually as a result. Philpott would state in another publication that investigated homeless youths in Texas: "A lot of boys who run away from home head for Texas the way other people stream for Texas."

On October 27, 1981, Philpott received a gunshot wound to his shoulder. He claimed that two intruders broke into his apartment and shot him with his .38-caliber automatic pistol that he kept on a shelf beside his bed. According to Philpott, the incident was in response to his investigations into organized child prostitution. Philpott also believed that the attack was meant to discredit his work by giving the impression to the public that he had committed suicide. Austin police believed that he had shot himself as a publicity stunt and stopped the investigation after Philpott declined to take a polygraph. He claimed that he refused because he was manic-depressive, and he felt manic-depressives did not test reliably.

In January 1985, Philpott was arrested outside of his apartment complex for impersonating a police officer. Philpott notified police earlier in the day that he believed individuals inside one of the apartments had been abusing two children, aged 2 and 4. While in custody, he would be charged with impersonating a police officer and received a $5,000 fine. Philpott would be released on a $500 bail and on personal recognizance. No charges were filed against the tenants for child abuse.

On October 9, 1991, Philpott died in his home in Austin, Texas, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest.