David Pryor
Encyclopedia
David Hampton Pryor is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives
and United States Senator
from the State of Arkansas
. Pryor also served as 39th Governor of Arkansas from 1975 to 1979 and was a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives
from 1960 to 1966. He served as the interim chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party
, following Bill Gwatney
's assassination.
, the seat of Ouachita County in southern Arkansas, to William Edgar Pryor and the former Susan Newton. 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.
He was elected to Congress in a special election to fill the unexpired term in the 89th Congress of fellow Democrat Oren Harris
, whom U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson
appointed to a federal judgeship. At the same time, Pryor was elected to the 90th Congress for a full term. In the primary, Pryor defeated the Texarkana lawyer Richard S. Arnold
, whom he later described as "a very, very close friend." Pryor thereafter defeated the Republican
candidate, A. Lynn Lowe
of Texarkana
, by a comfortable margin. Lowe would subsequently become chairman of the fledgling Arkansas GOP
. Pryor was reelected to the House twice and served from November 8, 1966 to January 3, 1973.
He was not a candidate for reelection in 1972. Instead he failed in a hard-fought campaign to wrest the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination from the popular conservative John L. McClellan
, from Sheridan, Arkansas.
, who won the Senate seat long held by J. William Fulbright
in the same year. Pryor first defeated former Governor Orval Faubus
in the primary and then crushed the Republican nominee, Ken Coon
, who would also later chair the Arkansas GOP. He was reelected in 1976 by a huge margin over the Republican Leon Griffith
, a plumber
from Pine Bluff
, the seat of Jefferson County
, who relocated to North Little Rock
during the campaign. Before they could face Pryor, Coon and Griffith first had to defeat Joseph H. Weston
of Cave City
, editor of the controversial Sharp Citizen newspaper
, whose work led to a change in Arkansas libel law.
Pryor's gubernatorial tenure extended from 1975 to January 3, 1979.
Lieutenant Governor
Joe Purcell
was an interim successor for six days as governor until the beginning of the term of the next governor-elect and future President Bill Clinton
, who had served as Arkansas attorney general
during Pryor's second two-year term.
from running himself. Pryor won the Democratic senatorial nomination over then U.S. Representatives Jim Guy Tucker
and Ray Thornton
and then secured a lopsided general election victory in the fall over the liberal Republican James Kelly. He served three Senate terms. His closest contest was his 1984 reelection against the Republican U.S. Representative Edwin Bethune. Despite the presence of Ronald W. Reagan on the Republican ticket, Pryor still defeated Bethune, 502,3431 (57.3 percent) to 373,615 (42.7 percent). Pryor was unopposed in 1990, and he did not seek a fourth term in 1996. The seat instead went Republican for one term with the election of U.S. Representative Tim Hutchinson
. Pryor hence retired from elected office in 1997.
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 the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
. He currently serves as dean
of the Clinton School of Public Service
in Little Rock
. 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 has done infrequently in the past, Pryor taught a political science course at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville during the Fall 2008 term.
, a Democrat who holds the same seat that his father vacated in 1997.
Pryor had quadruple bypass surgery
performed by Dr. Tamim Antakli at UAMS 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. http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2006/10/18/news/101906lrdavidpryor.txt
Pryor briefly returned to politics, when he served as an interim chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party following the murder of Bill Gwatney
, and plays an important role in Arkansas Democratic politics.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
and United States Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from the State of Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. Pryor also served as 39th Governor of Arkansas from 1975 to 1979 and was a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives
Arkansas House of Representatives
The Arkansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The House is composed of 100 members elected from an equal amount of constituencies across the state. Each district has an average population of 26,734...
from 1960 to 1966. He served as the interim chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party
Democratic Party of Arkansas
The Democratic Party of Arkansas is the local branch of the United States Democratic Party in the state of Arkansas. It is responsible for promoting the ideologies and core values of the national Democratic Party in Arkansas.-History:...
, following Bill Gwatney
Bill Gwatney
Bill Gwatney was an American politician who served as the State Chair of the Democratic Party of Arkansas. Prior to being State Chair, he was a State Senator for 10 years. He had also been the financial chair for Mike Beebe's run for Governor of Arkansas in 2006. He owned three car dealerships in...
's assassination.
Life
Pryor was born in CamdenCamden, Arkansas
Camden is a city in and the county seat of Ouachita County in the southern part of the U.S. state of Arkansas. Long an area of American Indians villages, the French also made a permanent settlement here because of its advantageous location above the Ouachita River. According to 2007 Census...
, the seat of Ouachita County in southern Arkansas, to William Edgar Pryor and the former Susan Newton. He attended public schools in Camden, attended Henderson State Teacher's College
Henderson State University
Henderson State University, founded in 1890 as Arkadelphia Methodist College, is a four-year public liberal arts university located in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, United States. It is Arkansas's only member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges...
in Arkadelphia
Arkadelphia, Arkansas
Arkadelphia is a city in Clark County, Arkansas, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 10,548. The city is the county seat of Clark County. The city is situated at the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains. Two universities, Henderson State...
, and graduated from the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
in Fayetteville
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...
in 1957. Pryor was founder and publisher of the Ouachita Citizen from 1957 to 1960. He graduated from law school
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
at the University of Arkansas in 1964 and was admitted to the bar that same year.
Political career
His state House service preceded his tenure in the U.S. House.He was elected to Congress in a special election to fill the unexpired term in the 89th Congress of fellow Democrat Oren Harris
Oren Harris
Oren Harris was a U.S. Representative and United States District Court Judge from Arkansas.-Background:Born in Belton, Arkansas, Harris attended public schools in Prescott, Arkansas....
, whom U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
appointed to a federal judgeship. At the same time, Pryor was elected to the 90th Congress for a full term. In the primary, Pryor defeated the Texarkana lawyer Richard S. Arnold
Richard S. Arnold
Richard Sheppard Arnold was a judge of the U.S. District Court and then the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Two presidents, Richard M. Nixon and Bill Clinton, considered naming Arnold to the United States Supreme Court...
, whom he later described as "a very, very close friend." Pryor thereafter defeated the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidate, A. Lynn Lowe
Lynn Lowe
Aylmer Lynn Lowe, known as A. Lynn Lowe , was a farmer and politician from Garland in Miller County in southwestern Arkansas, who was a major figure in the Arkansas Republican Party...
of Texarkana
Texarkana, Arkansas
As of the census of 2000, there were 26,448 people, 10,384 households, and 7,040 families residing in the city. The population density was 830.5 people per square mile . There were 11,721 housing units at an average density of 368.1 per square mile...
, by a comfortable margin. Lowe would subsequently become chairman of the fledgling Arkansas GOP
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. Pryor was reelected to the House twice and served from November 8, 1966 to January 3, 1973.
He was not a candidate for reelection in 1972. Instead he failed in a hard-fought campaign to wrest the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination from the popular conservative John L. McClellan
John Little McClellan
John Little McClellan was a Democratic Party politician from Arkansas. He represented Arkansas in the United States Senate from 1943 until 1977. He also earlier represented Arkansas in the United States House of Representatives.-Early life:McClellan was born in Sheridan, Grant County, Arkansas...
, from Sheridan, Arkansas.
The race for Governor
Pryor's next success came in the 1974 gubernatorial race. He was elected to succeed Dale BumpersDale Bumpers
Dale Leon Bumpers is an American politician who served as the 38th Governor of Arkansas from 1971 to 1975; and then in the United States Senate from 1975 until his retirement in January 1999. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Senator Bumpers is currently counsel at the Washington, D.C...
, who won the Senate seat long held by J. William Fulbright
J. William Fulbright
James William Fulbright was a United States Senator representing Arkansas from 1945 to 1975.Fulbright was a Southern Democrat and a staunch multilateralist who supported the creation of the United Nations and the longest serving chairman in the history of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee...
in the same year. Pryor first defeated former Governor Orval Faubus
Orval Faubus
Orval Eugene Faubus was the 36th Governor of Arkansas, serving from 1955 to 1967. He is best known for his 1957 stand against the desegregation of Little Rock public schools during the Little Rock Crisis, in which he defied a unanimous decision of the United States Supreme Court by ordering the...
in the primary and then crushed the Republican nominee, Ken Coon
Ken Coon
Kenneth Lloyd "Ken" Coon, Sr. , is a Little Rock educator, professional psychologist, and counselor who was also a pioneer in the development of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Arkansas. He was the GOP state chairman from 1988—1990...
, who would also later chair the Arkansas GOP. He was reelected in 1976 by a huge margin over the Republican Leon Griffith
Leon Griffith
Louis Leon Griffith was a master plumber from North Little Rock, who was the Arkansas Republican gubernatorial nominee in 1976, losing the election to Democratic incumbent Governor David H. Pryor....
, a plumber
Plumber
A plumber is a tradesperson who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable water, sewage, and drainage in plumbing systems. The term dates from ancient times, and is related to the Latin word for lead, "plumbum." A person engaged in fixing metaphorical "leaks" may also be...
from Pine Bluff
Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Pine Bluff is the largest city and county seat of Jefferson County, Arkansas, United States. It is also the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff, Arkansas Combined Statistical Area...
, the seat of Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Arkansas
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. Its population was 77,435 at the 2010 United States Census. It is included in the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area. Jefferson County's county seat and largest city is Pine Bluff...
, who relocated to North Little Rock
North Little Rock, Arkansas
the city was 62.55% White, 33.98% Black or African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.18% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races...
during the campaign. Before they could face Pryor, Coon and Griffith first had to defeat Joseph H. Weston
Joseph H. Weston
Joseph H. Weston was a controversial newspaper editor in Cave City in Sharp County in northern Arkansas, whose work led to a change in his state's libel law....
of Cave City
Cave City, Arkansas
Cave City is a city in Independence and Sharp counties in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The population was 1,946 at the 2000 census. The city was named for a large cave underneath the Crystal River Tourist Camp, which is the oldest motor court in Arkansas...
, editor of the controversial Sharp Citizen newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, whose work led to a change in Arkansas libel law.
Pryor's gubernatorial tenure extended from 1975 to January 3, 1979.
Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas
The Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas presides over the Arkansas Senate with a tie-breaking vote, serves as governor when the governor is out of state, and serves as governor if the governor is impeached, removed from office, dies or is otherwise unable to discharge the office's duties.The position...
Joe Purcell
Joe Purcell
Joseph Gregory Purcell -References:...
was an interim successor for six days as governor until the beginning of the term of the next governor-elect and future President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, who had served as Arkansas attorney general
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
during Pryor's second two-year term.
Senate
Pryor finally won McClellan's Senate seat in 1978. McClellan died in 1977, and Governor Pryor appointed a caretaker successor Kaneaster Hodges, Jr., who was prohibited by the Arkansas ConstitutionArkansas Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Arkansas is the governing document of the U.S. state of Arkansas. It was adopted in 1874, shortly after the Brooks-Baxter War replacing the 1868 constitution that had allowed Arkansas to rejoin the Union after the conclusion of the American Civil War; the new...
from running himself. Pryor won the Democratic senatorial nomination over then U.S. Representatives Jim Guy Tucker
Jim Guy Tucker
James "Jim" Guy Tucker, Jr. is an Arkansas political figure. He served as the 43rd Governor of Arkansas, the 11th Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas, Arkansas Attorney General, and U.S. Representative...
and Ray Thornton
Ray Thornton
Raymond Hoyt "Ray" Thornton, Jr. is a former U.S. Representative from the US state of Arkansas.Thornton earned a degree in political science from Yale University and, later, a law degree from the University of Arkansas...
and then secured a lopsided general election victory in the fall over the liberal Republican James Kelly. He served three Senate terms. His closest contest was his 1984 reelection against the Republican U.S. Representative Edwin Bethune. Despite the presence of Ronald W. Reagan on the Republican ticket, Pryor still defeated Bethune, 502,3431 (57.3 percent) to 373,615 (42.7 percent). Pryor was unopposed in 1990, and he did not seek a fourth term in 1996. The seat instead went Republican for one term with the election of U.S. Representative Tim Hutchinson
Tim Hutchinson
Young Timothy Hutchinson, known as Tim Hutchinson is a Republican politician and former senator from the state of Arkansas.Hutchinson was born in Bentonville, Arkansas, and he graduated from Bob Jones University...
. Pryor hence retired from elected office in 1997.
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 the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. He currently serves as dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the Clinton School of Public Service
Clinton School of Public Service
The Clinton School of Public Service is a branch of the University of Arkansas system and is the newest of the presidential schools. It is located on the grounds of the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock. The school is housed in a former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad station...
in Little Rock
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
. In June 2006, President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
nominated Pryor to the board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a non-profit corporation created by an act of the United States Congress, funded by the United States’ federal government to promote public broadcasting...
, and in September of that year he was confirmed by the Senate for a six-year term. As he has done infrequently 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 current United States Senator Mark PryorMark Pryor
Mark Lunsford Pryor is the senior United States Senator from Arkansas, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party and former Attorney General of Arkansas....
, a Democrat who holds the same seat that his father vacated in 1997.
Pryor had quadruple bypass surgery
Coronary artery bypass surgery
Coronary artery bypass surgery, also coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and colloquially heart bypass or bypass surgery is a surgical procedure performed to relieve angina and reduce the risk of death from coronary artery disease...
performed by Dr. Tamim Antakli at UAMS on October 11, 2006. He had suffered a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
the previous day. His recovery was satisfactory and he was released from the hospital on October 17, 2006. http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2006/10/18/news/101906lrdavidpryor.txt
Pryor briefly returned to politics, when he served as an interim chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party following the murder of Bill Gwatney
Bill Gwatney
Bill Gwatney was an American politician who served as the State Chair of the Democratic Party of Arkansas. Prior to being State Chair, he was a State Senator for 10 years. He had also been the financial chair for Mike Beebe's run for Governor of Arkansas in 2006. He owned three car dealerships in...
, and plays an important role in Arkansas Democratic politics.
External links
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry: David Hampton Pryor
- Oral History Interview with David Pryor from Oral Histories of the American South