David Pryor
| David Hampton Pryor | |
 | |
| In office January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Kaneaster Hodges, Jr. (interim for John McClellan) |
|---|---|
Secretary of the
Senate Democratic Conference | |
| In office January 3, 1989 – January 3, 1995 | |
| Leader | George J. Mitchell (Maine) |
| Preceded by | Daniel Inouye (Hawaii) |
| Succeeded by | Barbara Mikulski (Maryland) |
Chairman of the
Senate Aging Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1989 – January 3, 1995 | |
| Preceded by | John Melcher (Montana) |
| Succeeded by | William Cohen |
Governor of Arkansas
| |
| In office January 14, 1975 – January 3, 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Bob Cowley Riley (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Joe Purcell (acting) |
United States Representative for Arkansas' 4th congressional district
| |
| In office November 8, 1966 – January 3, 1973 | |
| Preceded by | Oren Harris |
| Succeeded by | Ray Thornton |
Arkansas State Representative for Ouachita County
| |
| In office January 9, 1961 – November 8, 1966 | |
| Preceded by | William S. Andrews |
| Succeeded by | None (Redistricting) |
Chairman of the
Arkansas Democratic Party | |
| In office September 5, 2008 – January 28, 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Bill Gwatney |
| Succeeded by | Todd Turner |
| Born | August 29, 1934 Camden, Arkansas |
| Died | April 20, 2024 (aged 89) Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Spouse(s) | Barbara Lunsford |
| Children | Mark Pryor |
| Alma mater | Henderson State University (BA) (Arkadelphia, Arkansas) |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
David Hampton Pryor (August 29, 1934 – April 20, 2024) was a Democratic politician from his native U.S. state of Arkansas. He held numerous state and federal positions.
Born in Camden in Ouachita County in south Arkansas, Pryor received his law degree from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He served prior to 1966 as a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives in which he became a specialist in problems of the aging. From 1966 to 1973, he was a member of the United States House of Representatives for Arkansas' 4th congressional district. He ran unsuccessfully for the United States Senate in the 1972 Democratic primary, having been defeated by the long-term incumbent John McClellan, who was more conservative than Pryor and strongly backed by the Camden publisher Walter E. Hussman, Sr.
In 1974, Pryor defeated former Governor Orval E. Faubus for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination and then handily beat the Republican Ken Coon in the general election for the right to succeed Governor Dale Bumpers, who became U. S. senator after defeating J. William Fulbright in the Democratic primary. After four years as governor, Pryor was succeeded by Bill Clinton. In 1978, Pryor was handily elected to the U.S. Senate and reelected in 1984 and 1990. He declined to run again in 1996 and was succeeded by the Republican Tim Hutchinson, then a U.S. representative. In 2002, Hutchinson was unseated after a single term by Pryor's son, Mark Pryor, who still holds the seat.[1]
From September 2008 to February 2009, Pryor was chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party. In retirement, he resides in the capital city of Little Rock, where he died on April 20, 2024.
Current Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders mourned Pryor’s passing and noted his “charisma and moderate politics made him a force at the ballot box for decades.” Despite their difference in partisanship, Sanders said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that she, "like all Arkansans deeply appreciated his diligent stewardship of Arkansas and our interests during his time in public life ... And we can all thank him for his role in burying the divisive racial politics that infected Arkansas[2]
References
- ↑ Pryor, David Hampton. bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved on March 6, 2021.
- ↑ David Pryor, former governor and senator of Arkansas, dies at age 89: He was considered one of the Democratic party’s giants in Arkansas.. politico.com (April 21, 2024).
