The late David Pryor, a former Arkansas governor and U.S. senator, will lie in state in the state Capitol rotunda on Friday, according to the secretary of state’s office.
The Camden native died Saturday at the age of 89. The public can pay their respects to the popular Democratic politician from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday in Little Rock.
A spokesperson for the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office said they don’t track everyone who has lay in state at the Capitol, but recent recipients of the honor include Rep. John Walker in 2019 and Arkansas Treasurer Mark Lowery in 2023.
Three years after starting a weekly newspaper, The Ouachita Citizen, in 1957, Pryor was elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives at the age of 26.
During a political career that lasted more than three decades, Pryor served as a state representative, U.S. congressman, U.S. senator and Arkansas governor. He was succeeded as governor by former President Bill Clinton, who called Pryor “one of Arkansas’ greatest servant leaders and one of the finest people I have ever known.”
“He was always one of America’s greatest advocates for the elderly, waging long battles to lower the cost of prescription drugs and to improve nursing homes and in-home care to help more people live in dignity,” Clinton said in a statement. “…He was honest, compassionate, and full of common sense. He really loved the people he represented, and they loved him back.”
Since Pryor’s death, politicians around the country have offered their condolences and praised his work, including Tom Harkin, a former U.S. senator from Iowa.
“Senator Pryor embodied the best of what it means to be a public servant: always calm, always reasonable, always seeking the best compromise to move our country forward in a progressive manner,” Harkin said in a statement. “We need new David Pryors now and, in the future, to lead our nation.”
To honor the “beloved statesman and public servant,” Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders ordered flags to half-staff on Monday through sunset on the day of interment.
A celebration of life is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at Second Presbyterian Church in Little Rock. Pryor will be laid to rest at Mount Holly Cemetery in Little Rock.
