David Pryor
David Pryor (born August 29, 1934) is a former Arkansas state senator and first Dean of the Clinton School of Public Service. He is the father of current Arkansas Democratic Senator Mark Pryor. David Pryor was born in Camden, Arkansas, where he attended public school and, after high school, spent some time at Henderson State Teachers College before moving to the University of Arkansas and graduating in 1957. That same year, he founded the Ouachita Citizen and published it until 1960. In 1964, he graduated from the University of Arkansas Law School and, during the same year, was admitted to the bar.
Before graduating from law school, Pryor was elected state representative from the 4th District in 1960, reelected in 1962 and 1964, then elected to both the Eighty-ninth Congress and the Ninetieth Congress on August 9, 1966. The reason for this double election is due to the resignation of Oren Harris from his seat in the Eighty-ninth Congress. In 1968 he voted to unseat the lily-white Democratic convention delegation from Mississippi in favor of an integrated delegation.
Pryor served in the U.S. Congress until January 3, 1973, and though he failed to receive a nomination for a seat in the senate in 1972, he served as the Governor of Arkansas from 1975 to 1979, which helped him to receive a seat in the Senate in 1978, where he stayed until January 3, 1997.
In retirement Pryor serves on the board of directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
References
- David Pryor, "Pryor Book Chronicles His Career in Politics," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, April 30, 2008.
- Scott Smallwood, David Glenn, and Sharon Walsh, "Arkansas Statesman to Head New Clinton School of Public Service," Chronicle of Higher Education, 50.33 (April 23, 2004): A8.
