Former Democratic Party Chief Dies

John C. White, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee and deputy agriculture secretary in the Carter administration, died Friday after a lengthy illness. He was 70.

White, who also served as Texas agriculture commissioner for 26 years, died at Georgetown University Hospital, where he had been receiving treatment for pneumonia since Dec. 30, his family said.

A confidant of presidents and leaders of both parties, White guided the Democratic National Committee through a turbulent period when Jimmy Carter’s presidency was challenged from within Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.