F. John White II, chairman emeritus of Public Financial Management Co. and celebrated political strategist, has died at 78

F. John White II, 78, of Philadelphia, chairman emeritus and longtime chief executive officer of Public Financial Management Co., former political strategist for Bill Green and Ed Rendell, longtime civic leader, mentor, and golfer, died Friday, June 13, of complications from dementia at his home in Chestnut Hill.

Adept at politics and finance, affable and innovative, Mr. White spent 31 years, from 1980 to his retirement in 2011, molding PFM into what one colleague called a “financial advisory powerhouse.” He used his early government experience and financial acumen to expand a Philadelphia office with five associates to 34 offices across the country with more than 400 employees.

Beginning in 1985, when he was promoted from managing director to president and CEO, he zeroed in on managing municipal and state assets, including Philadelphia’s troublesome budget, and notably helped his former government colleagues repair the city’s credit and investment grade ratings in the 1990s. “The thing you need to know about, to do this business, is government,” Mr. White told The Inquirer in 1993. “The finance, you can learn that.”

Political colleague David Glancey told The Inquirer in 1993 that Mr. White’s role at PFM was the perfect fit for Green’s former campaign manger and Rendell’s onetime press secretary. “It combines his love — the politics — with his profession,” Glancey said.

JoAnne Carter, current CEO of PFM, called Mr. White “a mentor, partner, and friend to many” in a tribute. She said: “John believed in the power of government to serve people.”

Daniel Hartman, PFM managing director and former CEO, said: “He helped build not just a firm but a community.”

Before PFM, right out of college, Mr. White joined Green’s political staff in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1971. He ran Green’s unsuccessful bids for Philadelphia mayor in ’71 and U.S. Senate in ’76, and was co-campaign manager when Green was elected mayor in 1979.

He was press secretary for Rendell, then the district attorney, in 1978 and financial adviser to the city through PFM when Rendell was mayor in the 1990s. He was, Rendell said in 1993, “one of the key five or 10 people in government, and he’s not even in government.”

Friends and colleagues called Mr. White “very caring and thoughtful” and “fair and honest” in online tributes. They praised his “national stature” and “credibility with the markets.”

Rendell said in 1993: “The only person I remember, who got toe-to-toe with me and in my face and told me I was wrong, was John. For every decibel level that I reached, he matched me.”

Mr. White served as chair of the Philadelphia Zoning Board and on boards for the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, and other groups. In 2022, he was inducted into the Bond Buyer Municipal Finance Hall of Fame.

He was a longtime trustee and financial and development adviser to his high school, William Penn Charter School. He earned the school’s Alumni Award of Merit in 1993 and was inducted into its Athletic Honor Society in 2015 as a member of the 1963 basketball team.

In 1990, to honor his mother, he endowed the Evelyn White Scholarship Fund at Penn Charter. “Fondly remembered for his warmth, gracious presence, and genuine smile,” said head of school Karen Warren Coleman, “John put people at ease quickly.”

An avid golfer who never stopped walking the course, he was treasurer at the Philadelphia Cricket Club from 2014 to 2018 and president from 2018 to 2022. He updated the club’s financial portfolio for years and created an employee executive committee in 2018 to improve member services and development.

In 2020, he endowed the F. John White Scholarship for a club caddie majoring in a social science. “John selflessly gave his time and talent to everything he touched and cared about,” club president Tom Sheridan said in a tribute.

Francis John White II was born May 2, 1947, in Philadelphia. He was inspired to service, he said often, by his mother, an aide to Green in Congress and Philadelphia Mayor James Tate, and his father, a union leader.

He grew up in East Oak Lane, ran track and played basketball, and graduated from Penn Charter in 1965. He was good at math and political science, and he earned a bachelor’s degree in the humanities at Muhlenberg College in 1970.

He married Gee Gee Dougherty in 1974, and they reared daughters Kelly and Maggy, and a son, Richard. After a divorce, he married Beth Ann Smith. His wife and former wife died earlier.

A lifelong rock and roller, Mr. White went to dozens of Bruce Springsteen concerts. He was optimistic, realistic, empathetic, and funny, his family said.

He liked to read and write, and he sent countless emails, letters, notes, thank you cards, and postcards to family and friends. He doted on his children, grandchildren, and dogs.

“He always had a message of love for all of us and pride in each of us,” said his daughter Kelly. His daughter Maggy said: “He saw every day as an opportunity to be a better version of yourself.”

In addition to his children, Mr. White is survived by six grandchildren, a brother, and other relatives.

Services and a celebration of his life were held June 26.

Donations in his name may be made to the Evelyn White Scholarship Fund at William Penn Charter School, 3000 W. School House Ln., Philadelphia, Pa. 19144.