Ex-Governor and Senator from Arkansas passes away at 89

David Pryor, a Democrat who served as governor of Arkansas and represented the state in both houses of Congress, died Saturday at 89.

Over almost 40 years in politics, Pryor served in the Arkansas House of Representatives before moving to the lower chamber of Congress, spent one term as governor of the Natural State, and represented it in the Senate for 18 years. His son Mark Pryor, who occupied the same Senate seat he did for two terms in the 21st century, said he died at his home in Little Rock, Arkansas, surrounded by family members.

Bill Clinton, a fellow former Democratic governor of Arkansas, offered condolences to the Pryor family in a statement, calling Pryor “one of Arkansas’ greatest servant leaders and one of the finest people I have ever known.” The former president also highlighted his friend’s work and advocacy for elderly people, fighting to lower the cost of prescription drugs and improve nursing homes “to help more people live in dignity.”

“David made politics personal—from his famed retail campaigning to his ability to calmly and confidently explain tough votes to his constituents,” Clinton said. “He was honest, compassionate, and full of common sense. He really loved the people he represented, and they loved him back.”

Notable Arkansas Republicans, including Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR), Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), and former 2024 presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson chimed in with statements remembering the longtime public servant.

“His career defied easy definition: a man with deep roots in Ouachita County who reached the heights of influence in Washington; a Solid South Democrat who stood strong against the Faubus machine; the architect of an Arkansas political dynasty who was just as comfortable in a Camden lumber yard as the Cambridge quad,” Sanders said.

Cotton called Pryor a “true gentleman and a statesman” whose “example served and will continue to serve as inspiration for our fellow Arkansans.”

“David Pryor was the quintessential public servant,” Hutchinson said. “He gave up other opportunities to serve Arkansas throughout his life and the public debate was elevated because of his service.”

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After retiring from the Senate in 1997, Pryor served as the first dean of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service and chaired the Democratic Party of Arkansas between September 2008 and January 2009. He also had a stint on the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees.

Pryor and his wife Barbara had three children: Mark, Scott, and David Jr.