David Pryor: Difference between revisions

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|image = David Pryor 1974.jpg
|image = David Pryor 1974.jpg
|caption = Pryor in 1974
|caption = Pryor in 1974
|office = Chair of the [[Democratic Party of Arkansas|Arkansas Democratic Party]]
|office4 = Chair of the [[Democratic Party of Arkansas|Arkansas Democratic Party]]
|term_start = September 5, 2008
|term_start4 = September 5, 2008
|term_end = January 28, 2009
|term_end4 = January 28, 2009
|predecessor = [[Bill Gwatney]]
|predecessor4 = [[Bill Gwatney]]
|successor = Todd Turner
|successor4 = Todd Turner
|office1 = [[United States Senate Democratic Conference Secretary|Secretary of the Senate Democratic Caucus]]
|office5 = [[United States Senate Democratic Conference Secretary|Secretary of the Senate Democratic Caucus]]
|leader1 = [[George J. Mitchell]]
|leader5 = [[George J. Mitchell]]
|term_start1 = January 3, 1989
|term_start5 = January 3, 1989
|term_end1 = January 3, 1995
|term_end5 = January 3, 1995
|predecessor1 = [[Daniel Inouye]]
|predecessor5 = [[Daniel Inouye]]
|successor1 = [[Barbara Mikulski]]
|successor5 = [[Barbara Mikulski]]
|office2 = Chair of the [[United States Senate Special Committee on Aging|Senate Aging Committee]]
|office6 = Chair of the [[United States Senate Special Committee on Aging|Senate Aging Committee]]
|term_start2 = January 3, 1989
|term_start6 = January 3, 1989
|term_end2 = January 3, 1995
|term_end6 = January 3, 1995
|predecessor2 = [[John Melcher]]
|predecessor6 = [[John Melcher]]
|successor2 = [[William Cohen]]
|successor6 = [[William Cohen]]
|jr/sr3 = United States Senator
|jr/sr = United States Senator
|state3 = [[Arkansas]]
|state = [[Arkansas]]
|term_start3 = January 3, 1979
|term_start = January 3, 1979
|term_end3 = January 3, 1997
|term_end = January 3, 1997
|predecessor3 = [[Kaneaster Hodges Jr.]]
|predecessor = [[Kaneaster Hodges Jr.]]
|successor3 = [[Tim Hutchinson]]
|successor = [[Tim Hutchinson]]
|order4 = 39th [[List of governors of Arkansas|Governor of Arkansas]]
|order1 = 39th [[List of governors of Arkansas|Governor of Arkansas]]
|lieutenant4 = Joe Purcell
|lieutenant1 = Joe Purcell
|term_start4 = January 14, 1975
|term_start1 = January 14, 1975
|term_end4 = January 3, 1979
|term_end1 = January 3, 1979
|predecessor4 = [[Bob C. Riley|Bob Riley]] (acting)
|predecessor1 = [[Bob C. Riley|Bob Riley]] (acting)
|successor4 = [[Joe Purcell]] (acting)
|successor1 = [[Joe Purcell]] (acting)
|state5 = [[Arkansas]]
|state2 = [[Arkansas]]
|district5 = {{ushr|AR|4|4th}}
|district2 = {{ushr|AR|4|4th}}
|term_start5 = November 8, 1966
|term_start2 = November 8, 1966
|term_end5 = January 3, 1973
|term_end2 = January 3, 1973
|predecessor5 = [[Oren Harris]]
|predecessor2 = [[Oren Harris]]
|successor5 = [[Ray Thornton]]
|successor2 = [[Ray Thornton]]
|state_house6 = Arkansas
|state_house7 = Arkansas
|district6 = Ouachita County
|district7 = Ouachita County
|term_start6 = January 9, 1961
|term_start7 = January 9, 1961
|term_end6 = January 9, 1967
|term_end7 = January 9, 1967
|predecessor6 = William Andrews
|predecessor7 = William Andrews
|successor6 = Redistricted
|successor7 = Redistricted
|birth_name = David Hampton Pryor
|birth_name = David Hampton Pryor
|birth_date = {{birth date|1934|8|29}}
|birth_date = {{birth date|1934|8|29}}

Revision as of 07:45, 21 April 2024

For the Australian cricketer, see David Pryor (cricketer).

David Pryor
Pryor in 1974
United States Senator
from Arkansas
In office
January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1997
Preceded byKaneaster Hodges Jr.
Succeeded byTim Hutchinson
39th Governor of Arkansas
In office
January 14, 1975 – January 3, 1979
LieutenantJoe Purcell
Preceded byBob Riley (acting)
Succeeded byJoe Purcell (acting)
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Arkansas's 4th district
In office
November 8, 1966 – January 3, 1973
Preceded byOren Harris
Succeeded byRay Thornton
Chair of the Arkansas Democratic Party
In office
September 5, 2008 – January 28, 2009
Preceded byBill Gwatney
Succeeded byTodd Turner
Secretary of the Senate Democratic Caucus
In office
January 3, 1989 – January 3, 1995
LeaderGeorge J. Mitchell
Preceded byDaniel Inouye
Succeeded byBarbara Mikulski
Chair of the Senate Aging Committee
In office
January 3, 1989 – January 3, 1995
Preceded byJohn Melcher
Succeeded byWilliam Cohen
Member of the Arkansas House of Representatives
from the Ouachita County district
In office
January 9, 1961 – January 9, 1967
Preceded byWilliam Andrews
Succeeded byRedistricted
Personal details
Born
David Hampton Pryor

(1934-08-29)August 29, 1934
Camden, Arkansas, U.S.
DiedApril 20, 2024(2024-04-20) (aged 89)
Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Barbara Lunsford
​
(m. 1957)​
ChildrenMark Pryor
EducationHenderson State University (BA)
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville (LLB)

David Hampton Pryor (August 29, 1934 – April 20, 2024) was an American politician and Democratic United States Representative and United States Senator from the State of Arkansas. Pryor also served as the 39th Governor of Arkansas from 1975 to 1979 and was a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1960 to 1966.[1][2][3] He served as the interim chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party from 2008 to 2009, following Bill Gwatney's assassination.

Early life

Pryor was born in Camden, the seat of Ouachita County in southern Arkansas, to William Edgar Pryor and the former Susan Pryor (née Newton). Both had deep roots in Arkansas; the marriage 'united two of the pioneer families of Arkansas'. William Pryor moved to Camden from Holly Springs in 1923 and started selling cars. By 1933, he had bought the partners out of the business and become sole owner of Edgar Pryor Inc, a well-known Chevrolet dealership in the area. The family was also involved in the civic, religious, and political life of Camden, with W.E. serving as Ouachita County Sheriff from 1939 to 1942.[4]

Pryor was a third generation Ouachita County resident. He attended public schools in Camden, attended Henderson State Teacher's College in Arkadelphia, and graduated from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville in 1957. Pryor was founder and publisher of the Ouachita Citizen from 1957 to 1960. He graduated from law school at the University of Arkansas in 1964 and was admitted to the bar that same year.

Political career

Pryor first won elected office representing Ouachita County in the Arkansas House of Representatives in 1960. Seated as a member of the 63rd Arkansas General Assembly, Pryor would win reelection to the seat in 1962 and 1964.

He was elected to Congress in 1966 following a vacancy that year after U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed fellow Democrat Oren Harris to a federal judgeship. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1972.

Pryor as governor.

U.S. Senate

Pryor served as chairman of the Committee on Aging. Pryor was known for his advocacy for the aged and for promoting taxpayer rights. During his tenure, he was secretary of the Democratic Conference, third in the Senate Democratic Leadership.

In 2000 Pryor became Director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He served as dean of the Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock from 2004 to 2006. In June 2006, President George W. Bush nominated Pryor to the board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and in September of that year he was confirmed by the Senate for a six-year term. As he had done occasionally in the past, Pryor taught a political science course at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville during the Fall 2008 term.

Post-Senate career

His son is former United States Senator Mark Pryor, a Democrat who held the same seat that his father vacated in 1997.

In 2004, Pryor was one of the five-member board of directors of the Clinton Foundation.[5]

Pryor had quadruple bypass surgery performed by Dr. Tamim Antaki at UAMS Medical Center on October 11, 2006. He had suffered a heart attack the previous day. His recovery was satisfactory and he was released from the hospital on October 17, 2006. [1][permanent dead link]

Pryor briefly returned to politics, when he served as an interim chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party following the murder of Bill Gwatney, and played an important role in Arkansas Democratic politics.[6][vague]

Personal life

In 1957, Pryor married Barbara Jean Lunsford, who at the time was a 19 year old freshman at the University of Arkansas. Unable to tolerate the stresses of public life, she briefly lived away from her family from 1975 to 1977, while her husband was governor. During that time, she took various university courses and had trouble finding a job, and she eventually moved back into the governor's mansion after completing her rest.[7]

On July 13, 2020, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson announced at a press briefing about the COVID-19 pandemic in the state that Pryor and his wife Barbara tested positive for the disease with Pryor hospitalized at UAMS in Little Rock and his wife under home quarantine.[8]

Pryor died at his home in Little Rock on April 20, 2024, at the age of 89.[9][10]

References

  1. ^ "SOS" (1998), pp. 309–312.
  2. ^ "SOS" (1998), pp. 314–317.
  3. ^ "SOS" (1998), pp. 309–310.
  4. ^ Herndon, Dallas T., ed. (1947). Annals of Arkansas. Vol. 3. Hopkinsville, Kentucky: The Historical Record Association. pp. 1058–1060. LCCN 48002456. OCLC 3920841.
  5. ^ "Data" (PDF). www.clintonfoundation.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 5, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  6. ^ "David Hampton Pryor (1934–) - Encyclopedia of Arkansas". www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  7. ^ Mann, Judy (March 16, 1979). "Barbara Pryor Is Back As a Complete Person". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  8. ^ "Former Arkansas Governor, Senator David Pryor in hospital with COVID-19". THV11. July 13, 2020.
  9. ^ Brock, Roby. "Former U.S. Sen. David Pryor has died; hailed as 'dedicated' public servant, 'true statesman". Talk Business & Politics. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  10. ^ Lockwood, Frank E. (April 20, 2024). "Former U.S. Sen. David Pryor dies at 89". nwaonline.com. Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC. Retrieved April 20, 2024.

External links

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Arkansas's 4th congressional district
1966–1973 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Governor of Arkansas
1974, 1976 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Arkansas
(Class 2)
1978, 1984, 1990 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Secretary of the Senate Democratic Conference
1989–1995 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the Arkansas Democratic Party
2008–2009 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Governor of Arkansas
1975–1979 		Succeeded by
U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Arkansas
1979–1997
Served alongside: Dale Bumpers 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the Senate Aging Committee
1989–1995 		Succeeded by
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