John Coyle White | |
---|---|
Texas Agriculture Commissioner | |
In office January 1951 – 1977 |
|
Governor |
Allan Shivers (1951–1957) |
Preceded by | James E. McDonald |
Succeeded by | Reagan V. Brown |
Chairman of the Democratic National Committee | |
In office 1978–1981 |
|
Preceded by | Kenneth M. Curtis |
Succeeded by | Charles Taylor Manatt |
Personal details | |
Born |
Newport, Clay County Texas, USA |
November 26, 1924
Died | January 20, 1995 Washington, D.C. |
(aged 70)
Resting place | Texas State Cemetery in Austin, Texas |
Alma mater | Texas Tech University |
Allan Shivers (1951–1957)
Price Daniel (1957–1963)
John B. Connally, Jr. (1963–1969)
Preston E. Smith (1969–1973)
John Coyle White (November 26, 1924 – January 20, 1995) was an elected and appointed Democratic official from Texas. 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 was United States Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. From 1978 to 1981, he was the chairman of the Democratic National Committee under U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
White was born in Newport in Clay County in north Texas. His father, Ed White, was a sharecropper. White graduated in 1946 from Texas Tech University in Lubbock.
At the age of twenty-five, White was elected statewide as the Agriculture Commissioner, the youngest person ever elected to statewide office in Texas. He was re-elected twelve times and served 26.5 years in the post. He worked to smooth the transition of Texas frp, an agricultural to a predominately urban economy. White established marketing programs that served as models for other state governments. He was responsible for establishing a close working relationship with Mexican agricultural entities that had expanded markets for both countries.
In 1977, U.S. President Jimmy Carter nominated White to serve as Deputy Secretary of the U.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 the Soviet 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. White resigned his post in 1978, when President Carter tapped him to lead the Democratic National Committee.