A resolution honoring the life of David Hampton Pryor, former United States Senator for the State of Arkansas.

Bill: 118-sres-673
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Boozman, John [R-AR]
Introduced: 2024-05-02
Policy area: Congress
Subjects: Arkansas

Congressional tributes

Members of Congress

Senate
Latest action: action_date: 2024-05-03
text: Message on Senate action sent to the House.

Summaries:
action_date: 2024-05-02
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p>This resolution expresses the sorrow of the Senate upon the announcement of the death of David Hampton Pryor, who served as a Senator and a Representative for Arkansas.</p>

tv_txt: III 118th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 673 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES May 2, 2024 Mr. Boozman (for himself, Mr. Cotton , Mr. Schumer , Mr. McConnell , Ms. Baldwin , Mr. Barrasso , Mr. Bennet , Mrs. Blackburn , Mr. Blumenthal , Mr. Booker , Mr. Braun , Mrs. Britt , Mr. Brown , Mr. Budd , Ms. Butler , Ms. Cantwell , Mrs. Capito , Mr. Cardin , Mr. Carper , Mr. Casey , Mr. Cassidy , Ms. Collins , Mr. Coons , Mr. Cornyn , Ms. Cortez Masto , Mr. Cramer , Mr. Crapo , Mr. Cruz , Mr. Daines , Ms. Duckworth , Mr. Durbin , Ms. Ernst , Mr. Fetterman , Mrs. Fischer , Mrs. Gillibrand , Mr. Graham , Mr. Grassley , Mr. Hagerty , Ms. Hassan , Mr. Hawley , Mr. Heinrich , Mr. Hickenlooper , Ms. Hirono , Mr. Hoeven , Mrs. Hyde-Smith , Mr. Johnson , Mr. Kaine , Mr. Kelly , Mr. Kennedy , Mr. King , Ms. Klobuchar , Mr. Lankford , Mr. Lee , Mr. Luján , Ms. Lummis , Mr. Manchin , Mr. Markey , Mr. Marshall , Mr. Menendez , Mr. Merkley , Mr. Moran , Mr. Mullin , Ms. Murkowski , Mr. Murphy , Mrs. Murray , Mr. Ossoff , Mr. Padilla , Mr. Paul , Mr. Peters , Mr. Reed , Mr. Ricketts , Mr. Risch , Mr. Romney , Ms. Rosen , Mr. Rounds , Mr. Rubio , Mr. Sanders , Mr. Schatz , Mr. Schmitt , Mr. Scott of Florida , Mr. Scott of South Carolina , Mrs. Shaheen , Ms. Sinema , Ms. Smith , Ms. Stabenow , Mr. Sullivan , Mr. Tester , Mr. Thune , Mr. Tillis , Mr. Tuberville , Mr. Van Hollen , Mr. Vance , Mr. Warner , Mr. Warnock , Ms. Warren , Mr. Welch , Mr. Whitehouse , Mr. Wicker , Mr. Wyden , and Mr. Young ) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Honoring the life of David Hampton Pryor, former United States Senator for the State of Arkansas.

Whereas David H. Pryor— (1) was born in Camden, Arkansas, in 1934; and (2) graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1957 and the University of Arkansas School of Law in 1964; Whereas David H. Pryor learned as a young man the value and importance of public service through his family’s role in public life, inspiring him to dedicate his life to public service; Whereas, after graduating from the University of Arkansas, David H. Pryor returned to Camden, Arkansas, with his wife, Barbara Jean Lunsford, where they started and edited a weekly newspaper, The Ouachita Citizen , which served as a counter-voice to the segregationist policies of Governor Orval Faubus; Whereas David H. Pryor was elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives in 1960 at the age of 26, where he continued his opposition to the Faubus machine and served until 1966; Whereas, in 1966, David H. Pryor was elected to the United States House of Representatives, where he represented the Fourth District of Arkansas until 1973; Whereas, in 1974, David H. Pryor was elected the thirty-ninth Governor of Arkansas, was reelected in 1976, and served through 1978; Whereas David H. Pryor was elected to the United States Senate in 1978 and served three terms until his retirement in 1997; Whereas, as Governor of Arkansas, David H. Pryor championed positive initiatives and reforms for Arkansas, including— (1) successfully calling for a convention to reform Arkansas’s Constitution; (2) creating the Department of Arkansas Natural and Cultural Heritage, now known as the Division of Arkansas Heritage, which promotes Arkansas’s natural and cultural heritage; (3) leading Arkansas through an economic recession during the 1970s without cutting State services or raising taxes; and (4) appointing a large number of African Americans and women to high-profile boards and commissions; Whereas, during David H. Pryor’s tenure as United States Senator for Arkansas, he— (1) served as Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging and the White House Conference on Aging, where he focused on prescription drug pricing and major reforms to elder care; (2) served on the Committee on Finance of the Senate, where he— (A) authored the landmark Omnibus Taxpayer Bill of Rights ( Public Law 100–647 ), which was enacted into law in 1988; and (B) focused on ensuring that tax dollars were spent in a prudent manner and taxpayers were treated fairly and not harassed by the Internal Revenue Service; (3) was elected to and served as Secretary of the Senate Democratic Caucus; and (4) worked as an important liaison between the United States Senate and the administration of President Bill Clinton; Whereas, after retiring from the United States Senate, David H. Pryor became the Fulbright Distinguished Fellow of Law and Public Affairs at the University of Arkansas and later the Director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government; Whereas David H. Pryor also donated unused campaign funds to the University of Arkansas to support the University’s efforts to preserve historical documents, which resulted in the creation of the David and Barbara Pryor Center for Oral and Visual History; Whereas, in 2004, David H. Pryor was named inaugural dean of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service; Whereas David H. Pryor was appointed interim chairman of the State Democratic Party following the death of Bill Gwatney in 2008 and was appointed to the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees by Governor Mike Beebe in 2009; Whereas, in 2008, David H. Pryor published his autobiography, A Pryor Commitment ; Whereas David H. Pryor served on the Board of Directors for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting from 2006 to 2014 and received the corporation’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019; Whereas David H. Pryor left an extraordinary legacy for the people of Arkansas and the United States and was a distinguished public servant and true statesmen who served with dedication and honor, living by his motto Arkansas Comes First ; Whereas David H. Pryor exemplified the values of bipartisanship, collaboration, and empathy, consistently working to find common ground and advance positive initiatives; and Whereas David H. Pryor is survived by his wife, Barbara Jean Pryor, his three sons and their wives, David, Jr. and Judith Pryor, Mark and Joi Pryor, and Scott and Diane Pryor, his four grandchildren, Hampton, Adams, Porter, and Devin, his great-grandchild, Raven, and his two sisters, Cornelia Lindsey of Camden, Arkansas, and Elinor Pryor of Little Rock, Arkansas: Now, therefore, be it

That— (1) the Senate has heard with profound sorrow and deep regret the announcement of the death of David H. Pryor, former Member of the Senate; (2) the Senate directs the Secretary of the Senate— (A) to communicate this resolution to the House of Representatives; and (B) to transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to the family of David H. Pryor; and (3) when the Senate adjourns today, it stands adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of the late David H. Pryor.