Kenneth Duberstein Called Moderate : Political Veteran Named as Deputy Chief of Staff

President Reagan, adding another Washington professional to an inner circle once ruled by conservative loyalists, Thursday named 20-year political veteran Kenneth M. Duberstein as his deputy chief of staff.

Duberstein, who will be second-in-command under newly appointed Chief of Staff Howard H. Baker Jr., begins the new job March 23. He was the White House liaison to Congress during much of Reagan’s first term, when Baker, then a U.S. senator from Tennessee, was majority leader of the Senate.

Under one plan being contemplated, Baker would leave the details of White House staff operation to Duberstein. The chief of staff would then be free to serve primarily as a counselor to the President.

In a written statement, Reagan said Duberstein is “an outstanding manager who has worked with the Congress to achieve some of the most important victories of my Administration. He will be a valuable asset as we begin the next two years.”

Political Moderate

Like Baker--and unlike Reagan’s White House advisers during the President’s first six years in office--the 42-year-old Duberstein is a Washington veteran and a political moderate.

He worked early in his career for former Republican Sen. Jacob K. Javits (R-N.Y.), and aided the election races of such mainstream Republicans as former New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller and New York City Mayor John V. Lindsay.

Before joining the Reagan Administration in 1981, Duberstein spent most of his Washington years with the General Services Administration and the Labor Department, where he was a top congressional affairs officer in the Carter Administration.

Chosen By Baker

Although he was named to the deputy’s slot by Reagan, Duberstein was chosen by Baker, who is midway through a reshuffling of the White House staff that served his predecessor, Donald T. Regan.

Baker was advised Wednesday by Jim Cannon and Thomas C. Griscom--the two aides overseeing the transition--to hire a “strong” deputy to oversee the details of White House operations, one official said. According to this account, they recommended Duberstein.

After Baker raised the issue with the President, Duberstein visited Reagan on Thursday, was offered the job and accepted.