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John Coyle White | |
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| 6thTexas Agriculture Commissioner | |
| In office January 1951 – 1977 | |
| Governor | Allan Shivers (1951–1957) Price Daniel (1957–1963) |
| Preceded by | James E. McDonald |
| Succeeded by | Reagan V. Brown |
| 1stUnited States Deputy Secretary of Agriculture | |
| In office 1977 – December 1977[1] | |
| President | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Jim Williams |
| Chairman of theDemocratic National Committee | |
| In office January 27, 1978 – February 27, 1981 | |
| Preceded by | Kenneth M. Curtis |
| Succeeded by | Charles Taylor Manatt |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1924-11-26)November 26, 1924 |
| Died | January 21, 1995(1995-01-21) (aged 70) |
| Resting place | Texas State Cemetery inAustin, Texas |
| Spouse | Mary Jean Prince |
| Alma mater | Texas Technological College |
John Coyle White (November 26, 1924 – January 21, 1995[2]) was an AmericanDemocratic politician fromTexas. He was the longest-serving Texas Commissioner of Agriculture, first elected in 1950 and serving until his resignation in 1977. He was the youngest person ever elected to statewide office in Texas. From 1977 to 1978, he wasUnited States Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. From 1978 to 1981, he was the chairman of theDemocratic National Committee underU.S. PresidentJimmy Carter.
White was born inNewport inClay County in north Texas. His father, Ed White, was asharecropper. White graduated in 1946 fromTexas Technological College inLubbock.
At the age of twenty-five, White was elected statewide as the Agriculture Commissioner, the youngest person ever elected to statewide office in Texas.[3] He was re-elected twelve times and served 26.5 years in the post. He worked to smooth the transition of Texas from an agricultural to a predominantly urban economy.[3] White established marketing programs that served as models for other state governments. He was responsible for establishing a close working relationship withMexican agricultural entities that had expanded markets for both countries.[4]
In 1977,U.S. PresidentJimmy Carter nominated White to serve as Deputy Secretary of theU.S. Department of Agriculture. He was responsible for the implementation of national agriculture policy and was the chief U.S. representative in negotiations with foreign governments, including theSoviet Union, on grain agreements. White served during a period of great unrest among the nation's farmers. His calm and reasoned arbitration with disaffected groups resulted in several successful changes in U.S. farm policy.[3] White resigned his post in 1978, when President Carter tapped him to lead the Democratic National Committee.
He helped the Democratic Party retain its majority in the 1978 congressional elections. TheRepublicans took control of the presidency and theU.S. Senate in the 1980 elections, but the Democrats retained their majority in theUnited States House of Representatives under the leadership ofTip O'Neill. John White was DNC chairman at a time when Democrats controlled theWhite House, the Senate, the House of Representatives, and a majority of governorships.
White died on January 20, 1995, inWashington, D.C. He is interred at theTexas State Cemetery inAustin, Texas.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Texas Agriculture Commissioner 1951–1977 | Succeeded by |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by Missing | United States Deputy Secretary of Agriculture 1977 – 1978 | Succeeded by James H. Williams |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forAgriculture Commissioner of Texas 1950, 1952, 1954, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1974 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chairman of the Democratic National Committee 1978 – 1981 | Succeeded by |
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| National | |
| Other | |
