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{{Short description|American politician (1934–2024)}}
{{for|the Australian cricketer|David Pryor (cricketer)}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{More citations needed|date=April 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Missing information|article|Pryor's terms as governor|date=April 2024}}
}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name         = David Pryor
|image        = David Pryor 1974.jpg
|caption      = Pryor in 1974
|office       = Chair of the [[Democratic Party of Arkansas|Arkansas Democratic Party]]
|term_start   = September 5, 2008
|term_end     = January 28, 2009
|predecessor  = [[Bill Gwatney]]
|successor    = Todd Turner
|office1      = [[United States Senate Democratic Conference Secretary|Secretary of the Senate Democratic Caucus]]
|leader1      = [[George J. Mitchell]]
|term_start1  = January 3, 1989
|term_end1    = January 3, 1995
|predecessor1 = [[Daniel Inouye]]
|successor1   = [[Barbara Mikulski]]
|office2      = Chair of the [[United States Senate Special Committee on Aging|Senate Aging Committee]]
|term_start2  = January 3, 1989
|term_end2    = January 3, 1995
|predecessor2 = [[John Melcher]]
|successor2   = [[William Cohen]]
|jr/sr3       = United States Senator
|state3       = [[Arkansas]]
|term_start3  = January 3, 1979
|term_end3    = January 3, 1997
|predecessor3 = [[Kaneaster Hodges Jr.]]
|successor3   = [[Tim Hutchinson]]
|order4       = 39th [[List of governors of Arkansas|Governor of Arkansas]]
|lieutenant4  = Joe Purcell
|term_start4  = January 14, 1975
|term_end4    = January 3, 1979
|predecessor4 = [[Bob C. Riley]] (acting)
|successor4   = [[Joe Purcell]] (acting)
|state5       = [[Arkansas]]
|district5    = {{ushr|AR|4|4th}}
|term_start5  = November 8, 1966
|term_end5    = January 3, 1973
|predecessor5 = [[Oren Harris]]
|successor5   = [[Ray Thornton]]
|state_house6 = Arkansas
|district6    = Ouachita County
|term_start6  = January 9, 1961
|term_end6    = November 7, 1966
|predecessor6 = William Andrews
|successor6   = Redistricted
|birth_name   = David Hampton Pryor
|birth_date   = {{birth date|1934|8|29}}
|birth_place  = [[Camden, Arkansas]], U.S.
|death_date   = {{death date and age|2024|4|20|1934|8|29}}
|death_place  = [[Little Rock, Arkansas]], U.S.
|resting_place= Mount Holly Cememtery, Little Rock, Arkansas
|party        = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|spouse       = {{marriage|Barbara Lunsford|1957}}
|children     = [[Mark Pryor]]
|education    = [[Henderson State University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[University of Arkansas|University of Arkansas, Fayetteville]] ([[Bachelor of Laws|LLB]])
}}
'''David Hampton Pryor''' (August 29, 1934 – April 20, 2024) was an American politician who served as a [[United States House of Representatives|representative]] for [[Arkansas's 4th congressional district]] from 1966 until 1973 and as a [[United States Senate|senator]] from [[Arkansas]] from 1979 until 1997. A member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], 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.<ref>{{harvp|"SOS"|1998|pp= 309-312}}.</ref><ref>{{harvp|"SOS"|1998|pp= 314-317}}.</ref><ref>{{harvp|"SOS"|1998|pp= 309-310}}.</ref> He served as the acting chairman of the [[Democratic Party of Arkansas|Arkansas Democratic Party]] from 2008 to 2009, following [[Bill Gwatney]]'s assassination.

==Early life==
David Hampton Pryor was born in [[Camden, Arkansas|Camden]], the seat of [[Ouachita County, Arkansas|Ouachita County]] in southern Arkansas, to William Edgar Pryor and the former Susan Pryor ({{nee|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, Arkansas|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.<ref>{{ cite book |title= Annals of Arkansas |year= 1947 |editor-first=Dallas T. |editor-last= Herndon |location= Hopkinsville, Kentucky |publisher= The Historical Record Association |volume=3 |pages=1058–1060 |oclc= 3920841 |lccn=48002456 }}</ref>

Pryor was a third generation Ouachita County resident. He attended public schools in Camden, attended [[Henderson State University|Henderson State Teacher's College]] in [[Arkadelphia, Arkansas|Arkadelphia]], and graduated from the [[University of Arkansas]] in [[Fayetteville, Arkansas|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.

In 1966, Pryor was elected to Congress 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, instead challenging longtime U.S. Senator [[John L. McLellan]] in the Democratic Primary. Pryor lost to McLellan in a runoff by less than 20,000 votes.

Pryor entered the 1974 Democratic Gubernatorial Primary when Governor [[Dale Bumpers]] declined a third term to successfully challenge Senator [[J. William Fulbright]]. Pryor narrowly avoided a runoff in the primary, defeating former governor [[Orval Faubus]] and Lt. Governor [[Bob C. Riley]], then easily besting Arkansas Republican Party Executive Director [[Ken Coon]] in the General Election. Pryor was reelected in 1976, gaining 66 percent of the vote in the Democratic Primary against former Razorback football great [[Jim Lindsey]], and 86 percent in November against a token Republican.   He served as Governor of Arkansas from January 14, 1975 to January 3, 1979. Navigating a difficult economy from the 1974–76 recession, Pryor appointed banker and future governor [[Frank D. White]] as his economic development director.

He declined a third term in order to seek McLellan's former seat in 1978 (the senator died in 1977) and faced two congressmen: [[Jim Guy Tucker]] and [[Ray Thornton]] in the Democratic Primary. Pryor advanced to a runoff with Tucker, and defeated the central Arkansas congressman by 12 points. He defeated a Republican and Independent opponents in the General Election with 76 percent of the vote.

In 1984, in spite of the [[Ronald Reagan]] landslide, Pryor defeated central Arkansas Congressman [[Ed Bethune]] in a race dominated by national GOP money backing Bethune. In 1990, Pryor defeated a write-in candidate; no other Democrat or Republican filed. He retired in 1996 and was replaced by Republican congressman [[Tim Hutchinson]].

[[File:David Pryor (AR).png|150px|thumb|left|Pryor as governor.]]

===U.S. Senate===
Pryor served as chairman of the [[U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging|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 (education)|dean]] of the [[Clinton School of Public Service]] in [[Little Rock, Arkansas|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 from 2003 until 2015.

In 2004, Pryor was one of the five-member board of directors of the [[Clinton Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.clintonfoundation.org/files/2004_AR.pdf |title=Data |website=www.clintonfoundation.org |access-date=October 24, 2016 |archive-date=March 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305062825/https://www.clintonfoundation.org/files/2004_AR.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 
Pryor briefly returned to politics, when he served as chairman of the [[Arkansas Democratic Party]] following the assassination of [[Bill Gwatney]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=118|title=David Hampton Pryor (1934–) - Encyclopedia of Arkansas|website=www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net|access-date=August 23, 2017}}</ref>

==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.<ref>{{cite news|last=Mann |first=Judy |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1979/03/16/barbara-pryor-is-back-as-a-complete-person/eca3ec90-0de8-4162-a40d-bd1ace642827/ |title=Barbara Pryor Is Back As a Complete Person |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=March 16, 1979 |access-date=April 4, 2019}}</ref>

Pryor had quadruple [[Coronary artery bypass surgery|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.<ref>[http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2006/10/18/news/101906lrdavidpryor.txt]{{dead link|date=December 2017|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

On July 13, 2020, Arkansas Governor [[Asa Hutchinson]] announced at a press briefing about the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] [[COVID-19 pandemic in Arkansas|in the state]] that Pryor and his wife Barbara tested positive for the [[COVID-19|disease]] with Pryor hospitalized at [[University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences|UAMS]] in [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]] and his wife under home quarantine.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thv11.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/david-pryor-wife-coronavirus-arkansas/91-7bcfc8be-a4c8-4ee1-ac9c-b5c2cd82675d|title=Former Arkansas Governor, Senator David Pryor in hospital with COVID-19|date=July 13, 2020|work=[[KTHV|THV11]]}}</ref>

Pryor died at his home in Little Rock, on April 20, 2024, at the age of 89.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Brock |first1=Roby |title=Former U.S. Sen. David Pryor has died; hailed as 'dedicated' public servant, 'true statesman |url=https://talkbusiness.net/2024/04/former-u-s-sen-david-pryor-has-died-hailed-as-dedicated-public-servant-true-statesman/ |website=Talk Business & Politics |date=April 20, 2024 |access-date=April 20, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2024/apr/20/former-us-sen-david-pryor-dies-at-89-nwaonline/| title = Former U.S. Sen. David Pryor dies at 89| last = Lockwood| first = Frank E.| date = April 20, 2024| website = nwaonline.com| publisher = Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC.| access-date = April 20, 2024| quote =}}</ref> He would [[lie in state]] at the Arkansas State Capitol on April 26, 2024.<ref name=funeral>{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/david-pryor-funeral-arkansas-484608ee54200b5c1a3e9f4d69dbd47d|title=David Pryor, former governor and senator of Arkansas, is remembered|publisher=Associated Press|date=April 27, 2024|accessdate=April 2, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://katv.com/news/local/david-pryor-laying-in-state-at-arkansas-state-capitol-former-arkansas-governor-us-senator-camden-governor-sarah-huckabee-sanders-bryan-sanders-capitol-rotunda-john-walker-mark-lowery|title=David Pryor laying-in-state at Arkansas State Capitol|first=Rowdy|last=Baribeau|publisher=KATV|date=April 26, 2024|accessdate=April 2, 2025}}</ref> His funeral would then be held at Second Presbyterian Church in [[Little Rock]] on April 27, 2025, with [[Bill Clinton]] being among those in attendance.<ref name=funeral /><ref name=funeralandburial>{{cite news|url=https://katv.com/news/local/david-pryor-former-arkansas-governor-and-us-senator-to-be-laid-to-rest-politics|title=David Pryor, former Arkansas Governor and U.S. Senator, laid to rest April 27th|publisher=KATV|date=April 27, 2024|accessdate=April 2, 2025}}</ref> He would be buried at Mount Holly Cemetery in [[Little Rock]].<ref name=funeralandburial />

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book |last= Ferguson |first=John L. |title= Arkansas Lives |year= 1965 |publisher= Historical Record Association, Inc |location= [[Hopkinsville, Kentucky]] |lccn=65-25764 |pages= 506–507 |ref={{harvid|"Lives"|1965}} }}
* {{cite book |last1= Priest |first1= Sharon |author-link1=Sharon Priest |editor1-last= Runnells |editor1-first= Jonathan |title= Historical Report of the Arkansas Secretary of State |year= 1998 |publisher= Office of the [[Arkansas Secretary of State]] |isbn= 9780313302121 |oclc= 40157815 |ref={{harvid|"SOS"|1998}} }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{CongLinks | congbio = P000556}}
* Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry: [http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=118 David Hampton Pryor]
* [http://docsouth.unc.edu/sohp/A-0038/menu.html Oral History Interview with David Pryor] from [http://docsouth.unc.edu/sohp/ Oral Histories of the American South]
*{{C-SPAN|2279}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-par|us-hs}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Oren Harris]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member of the [[List of United States Representatives from Arkansas|U.S. House of Representatives]]<br />from [[Arkansas's 4th congressional district]]|years=1966–1973}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Ray Thornton]]}}
|-
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Dale Bumpers]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for [[List of Governors of Arkansas|Governor of Arkansas]]|years=[[1974 Arkansas gubernatorial election|1974]], [[1976 Arkansas gubernatorial election|1976]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Bill Clinton]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[John Little McClellan|John McClellan]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for [[List of United States Senators from Delaware|U.S. Senator]] from Arkansas<br />([[Classes of United States Senators|Class 2]])|years=[[1978 United States Senate election in Arkansas|1978]], [[1984 United States Senate election in Arkansas|1984]], [[1990 United States Senate election in Arkansas|1990]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Winston Bryant]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Daniel Inouye]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[United States Senate Democratic Conference Secretary|Secretary of the Senate Democratic Conference]]|years=1989–1995}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Barbara Mikulski]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Bill Gwatney]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the [[Arkansas Democratic Party]]|years=2008–2009}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Todd Turner]]}}
|-
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Bob C. Riley]]<br />Acting}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Governors of Arkansas|Governor of Arkansas]]|years=1975–1979}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Joe Purcell]]<br />Acting}}
|-
{{s-par|us-sen}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Kaneaster Hodges Jr.]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of United States Senators from Arkansas|U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Arkansas]]|years=1979–1997|alongside=[[Dale Bumpers]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Tim Hutchinson]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[John Melcher]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chair of the [[United States Senate Special Committee on Aging|Senate Aging Committee]]|years=1989–1995}}
{{s-aft|after=[[William Cohen]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Governors of Arkansas}}
{{USSenAR}}
{{U.S. Arkansas Representatives}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pryor, David}}
[[Category:1934 births]]
[[Category:2024 deaths]]
[[Category:Burials at Mount Holly Cemetery]]
[[Category:Arkansas Democratic state chairmen]]
[[Category:Clinton Foundation people]]
[[Category:Democratic Party governors of Arkansas]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the Arkansas House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas]]
[[Category:Democratic Party United States senators from Arkansas]]
[[Category:Harvard Kennedy School staff]]
[[Category:Henderson State University alumni]]
[[Category:People from Camden, Arkansas]]
[[Category:Politicians from Little Rock, Arkansas]]
[[Category:Presbyterians from Arkansas]]
[[Category:Sigma Alpha Epsilon members]]
[[Category:University of Arkansas System trustees]]
[[Category:20th-century Arkansas politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Arkansas politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century United States senators]]
[[Category:20th-century United States representatives]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Arkansas General Assembly]]