Popular Arkansas Governor and Senator David Pryor to Lie in State Friday

Former Arkansas Governor, Congressman, U.S. Senator and State representative David Pryor died Saturday, of natural causes, surrounded by family. Tributes and condolences continue to pour in to recognize his many contributions and efforts for the state.
Pryor was considered one of the Democratic Party’s giants in Arkansas. Voters elected him governor in 1974, serving four years before his election to the U.S. Senate. In 1988, Pryor won passage of a Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights – which expanded citizens’ rights when dealing with the IRS. Pryor would later call the legislation the cornerstone of his congressional career. Pryor did not seek re-election in 1996 and retired at the end of his term in early 1997.
Political scientist Jay Barth, Ph.D., reflected on Pryor’s career on the program “Talk business and politics.” “He’s one of those, you know, rare individuals that you inevitably felt so much happier after you had interacted with him for a little bit. But he was somebody who was always very clearly a politician. It was both politics but also public service in a way in which those meshed. And then the common humanity that pulls all that altogether.” David Pryor will lie in state at the Arkansas state capitol this Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. He was 89.