Tommy Irvin | Longtime Georgia official, 88

Former Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin, 88, whose four decades in office made him one of the longest-serving statewide officials in the nation, has died, the department he once ran confirmed Friday.

The cause of death was not immediately known. Mr. Irvin was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2006.

First appointed as state agriculture head in 1969 by then-Gov. Lester Maddox, Mr. Irvin went on to win 10 consecutive elections before deciding to retire in 2011 because of age and health reasons.

"His lifelong service and dedication to our state, particularly to advancing the causes of our agricultural community, helped build a stronger, more prosperous Georgia," Gov. Nathan Deal said.

Mr. Irvin once said he was proud that he was never tarnished by scandal and pointed out that the boll weevil, a pest that once destroyed Southern cotton crops, was eradicated on his watch. His last years at the Agriculture Department were marred by two serious outbreaks of salmonella poisoning. - AP