David H. Pryor Papers

Collection

Identifier: MC 336

Staff Only
Select files to request

Scope and Content Note

The collection is divided into four major groups. Group I includes materials from Senator Pryor's time as publisher of the Ouachita Citizen, his terms in the Arkansas General Assembly and United States House of Representatives, and his two terms as governor of Arkansas. Group II includes materials related to his term in the United States Senate; this group also includes materials related to Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign and inauguration as well as the creation of his cabinet. Group III is comprised of personal materials; this group includes personal schedules, appointment books, and scrapbooks. It also includes materials related to the activities of Mrs. Pryor. Group IV includes photographs, audio and visual materials, and artifacts.

Materials include correspondence, speeches, legislative bills, position papers, personal and office financial records, microfilm, scrapbooks, posters, printing plates, photographs and negatives, video and audio tapes, and artifacts.

Dates

1934-2004

Creator

Pryor, David, 1934- (Person)

Language of Materials

Materials are in English.

Access Information

Please call (479) 575-8444 or email specoll@uark.edu at least two weeks in advance of your arrival to ensure availability of the materials.

Use Information

The following classes of materials are restricted.

Papers and other materials, the disclosure of which would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy or a libel of a person of a living person.
Materials pertaining to the personal, family, and confidential business affairs of the donor or other persons referenced by the materials.
Materials relating to investigations of individuals and organizations, to proposed appointments to office, or to other personal matters affecting individual privacy.
All confidential personnel records found in the Materials have been sealed and returned to the donor or at the donor’s request the donee has destroyed them.
Any other records the donor may choose to restrict, in consultation with the donee.

As per donor agreement, materials shall remain restricted until 2017. At that time, the donee shall determine if any materials should continue to be restricted. Restricted materials may not be accessed EXCEPT researchers may view the microfilm in Group II, Series 10, Subseries 6 with the permission of the head of Special Collections on a case-by-case basis.

No Interlibrary Loan.

Standard Federal Copyright Laws Apply (U.S. Title 17).

Biographical Note

David Hampton Pryor was born in Camden, Arkansas, August 29, 1934, the son of William Edgar and Susan Newton Pryor. He graduated from Camden High School in 1952, after which he briefly attended Henderson State Teachers College in Arkadelphia. He graduated with a B.A. in government from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville in 1957. In November 1957 he married Barbara Jean Lunsford of Fayetteville; they had three sons–David, Jr., Mark, and Scott. The Pryors moved to Camden where he founded a weekly newspaper, The Ouachita Citizen. A Democrat, he was elected as representative from Ouachita County to the Arkansas General Assembly in 1960. After serving three terms in the Arkansas state legislature, he was elected United States representative from Arkansas's Fourth Congressional District in 1966, serving three terms. In 1972 he made an unsuccessful bid for the United States Senate, challenging Senator John L. McClellan in the Democratic primary. In 1974 he was elected governor of Arkansas, a post he occupied for two terms. In 1978 he was elected to the United States Senate. He served in the Senate for eighteen years, where he supported elderly concerns, fiscal responsibility in government spending, and the rights of taxpayers. He also promoted the interests of Arkansas farmers, opposed profiteering by pharmaceutical drug companies, and sought the reform of government consultant practices. After retirement from the Senate in 1996, Pryor served as a Fulbright Distinguished Fellow of Law and Public Affairs at the University of Arkansas in 1997. In 1999 he became a fellow at the Institute of Politics of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and for the years 2000 and 2001 served as the institute's director. In 2004 he was named founding dean of the Clinton School of Public Service at the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock. In 2009 he was appointed a Trustee of the University of Arkansas System

Extent

821.5 Linear Feet (751 boxes and 27 oversized items)

Additional Description

Arrangement of the Papers

Materials in the David H. Pryor Papers are arranged into four groups

Group I. Early Political Career and Gubernatorial Papers (Boxes 1-99c)
Group I, Series 1. Early Career. (Boxes 1-10)
Group I, Series 1, Subseries 1. Ouachita Citizen and State Legislature
Group I, Series 1, Subseries 2. Congressional Career, 1966-1972
Group I, Series 1, Subseries 3. 1972 Senatorial Campaign
Group I, Series 1, Subseries 4. Interim Career, 1973-1974
Group I, Series 1, Subseries 5. Group I, Series 1, Subseries
Group I, Series 2. Gubernatorial Correspondence. (Boxes 11-70)
Group I, Series 2, Subseries 1. Governor’s Correspondence
Group I, Series 2, Subseries 2. Subject Files
Group I, Series 3. Gubernatorial Working Papers. (Boxes 71-95)
Group I, Series 3, Subseries 1. Commerce and Industry
Group I, Series 3, Subseries 2. Corrections and Public Safety
Group I, Series 3, Subseries 3. Education
Group I, Series 3, Subseries 4. Finance and Administration
Group I, Series 3, Subseries 5. Gubernatorial Campaigns and Democratic Party
Group I, Series 3, Subseries 6. Health
Group I, Series 3, Subseries 7. Human Services
Group I, Series 3, Subseries 8. Labor
Group I, Series 3, Subseries 9. Legislature
Group I, Series 3, Subseries 10. Local Services
Group I, Series 3, Subseries 11. Parks and Tourism
Group I, Series 3, Subseries 12. Pollution Control and Ecology
Group II, Series 5. Military and Veteran Affairs (Boxes 244-284)
Group II, Series 5, Subseries 1. Office Files and Correspondence, ca 1970s-1995
Group II, Series 5, Subseries 2. Defense Authorizations/Appropriations/Budgets
Group II, Series 5, Subseries 3. Defence Conversion-General Files
Group II, Series 5, Subseries 4. Economic Conversion and Reinvestment
Group II, Series 5, Subseries 5. Air Force/Military Base Closures
Group II, Series 5, Subseries 6. Military Consultants/Contractors
Group II, Series 5, Subseries 7. Military Reform
Group II, Series 5, Subseries 8. NATO
Group II, Series 5, Subseries 9. U.S. Foreign Relations and Policy
Group II, Series 5, Subseries 10. Weapon Systems
Group II, Series 5, Subseries 11. U.S. Navy
Group II, Series 5, Subseries 12. Strategic Arms Limitations Treaty "SALT"
Group II, Series 5, Subseries 13. Senator Pryor's Papers on Defense
Group II, Series 5, Subseries 14. Veterans' Papers, ca 1976-1997
Group II, Series 5, Subseries 15. Military Academy Nominees and Academy Files, 1981-1997
Group II, Series 6. Taxes and Financial Matters (Boxes 285-343)
Group II, Series 6, Subseries 1. Taxes
Group II, Series 6, Subseries 2. IRS Horror Stories
Group II, Series 6, Subseries 3. Cigarette Taxes
Group II, Series 6, Subseries 4. Budget
Group II, Series 6, Subseries 5. Banking
Group II, Series 6, Subseries 6. Oversize Materials
Group II, Series 7. Other Legislative Files (Boxes 344-373)
Group II, Series 7, Subseries 1. The Arts
Group II, Series 7, Subseries 2. Civil Rights and Women's Issues
Group II, Series 7, Subseries 3. Communications and Commerce
Group II, Series 7, Subseries 4. Consumer Protection
Group II, Series 7, Subseries 5. Crime
Group II, Series 7, Subseries 6. Education
Group II, Series 7, Subseries 7. Energy and Transportation
Group II, Series 7, Subseries 8. Housing
Group II, Series 7, Subseries 9. Immigration
Group II, Series 7, Subseries 10. Labor and Employment
Group II, Series 7, Subseries 11. Post Office
Group II, Series 7, Subseries 12. Other Subjects and Miscellaneous Materials
Group II, Series 7, Subseries 13. Oversize Materials
Group II, Series 8. Administrative Files (Boxes 374-432)
Group II, Series 8, Subseries 1. Bruce Lindsey
Group II, Series 8, Subseries 2. Don Harrell
Group II, Series 8, Subseries 3. Doug Jackson
Group II, Series 8, Subseries 4. Henry Woods
Group II, Series 8, Subseries 5. Carmie Henry
Group II, Series 8, Subseries 6. Other Staff Files
Group II, Series 8, Subseries 7. Intern Files
Group II, Series 8, Subseries 8. Oversize Materials
Group II, Series 9. Public Relations Files (Boxes 433-447)
Group II, Series 9, Subseries 1. Press Releases and Newsletters
Group II, Series 9, Subseries 2. Mass Mailings
Group II, Series 9, Subseries 3. Senate Journal
Group II, Series 9, Subseries 4. Subject Files
Group II, Series 10. Constituent Correspondence (Boxes 448-476; Microfilm Reels 1-542)
Group II, Series 10, Subseries 1. Library Item Encyclopedias
Group II, Series 10, Subseries 2. Correspondence Weekly and Abstract Reports
Group II, Series 10, Subseries 3. General Correspondence
Group II, Series 10, Subseries 4. Personal and Miscellaneous Correspondence
Group II, Series 10, Subseries 5. 1993 Correspondence Index
Group II, Series 10, Subseries 6. Microfilm Indexes
Group II, Series 10, Subseries 7. Microfilmed Correspondence-Restricted Materials
Group II, Series 11. Arkansas Constituent Issues and Correspondence, 1981-1996 (Boxes 477-512)
Group II, Series 11, Subseries 1. Constituent Correspondence by Date
Group II, Series 11, Subseries 2. Subject Files
Group II, Series 12. Little Rock Office Files (Boxes 513-527)
Group II, Series 12, Subseries 1. Water and Sewer
Group II, Series 12, Subseries 2. Highways and Airports
Group II, Series 12, Subseries 3. Corps of Engineers
Group II, Series 12, Subseries 4. Environmental Protection Agency
Group II, Series 12, Subseries 5. Forest Service
Group II, Series 12, Subseries 6. Interior/Game and Fish
Group II, Series 12, Subseries 7. Other Files
Group III. Personal Materials (Boxes 528-597)
Group III, Series 1. Personal Materials. Boxes (528-549)
Group III, Series 1, Subseries 1. David Pryor and Family
Group III, Series 1, Subseries 2. Get-Well Cards and Letters
Group III, Series 1, Subseries 3. David Pryor Retirement
Group III, Series 1, Subseries 4. Birthday, Valentines Day and Christmas Cards
Group III, Series 1, Subseries 5. Personal Finances and Other Materials-Restricted
Group III, Series 2. Appointments and Schedules (Boxes 550-572)
Group III, Series 2, Subseries 1. Appointment Books and Calendars
Group III, Series 2, Subseries 2. Schedules
Group III, Series 2, Subseries 3. Appointment Files
Group III, Series 2, Subseries 4. Speaking Engagement and Public Appearances
Group III, Series 2, Subseries 5. Telephone Calls and Messages
Group III, Series 2, Subseries 6. Office Memos, Guest Books and Other Materials
Group III, Series 3. Scrapbooks and Newspaper Clippings (Boxes 573-597; Scrapbooks 1-43)
Group III, Series 3, Subseries 1. Scrapbooks
Group III, Series 3, Subseries 2. Newspaper Clipping Files
Group IV. Multi-Media and Artifacts (Boxes 598-701)
Group IV, Series 1. Images (Boxes 598-610; Oversize Items 1-16)
Group IV, Series 1, Subseries 1. Photographs-First Accession
Group IV, Series 1, Subseries 2. Photographs-Second Accession
Group IV, Series 1, Subseries 3. Digital Photographs
Group IV, Series 1, Subseries 4. Negatives and Proof Sheets
Group IV, Series 1, Subseries 5. Photographic Scrapbooks
Group IV, Series 1, Subseries 6. Other Images
Group IV, Series 1, Subseries 7. Slides
Group IV, Series 1, Subseries 8. Oversize Materials
Group IV, Series 1, Subseries 9. Large Framed Photographs
Group IV, Series 2. Video and Audio Recordings (Boxes 611-639)
Group IV, Series 2, Subseries 1. VHS Tapes
Group IV, Series 2, Subseries 2. Master Broadcast Videocassette Tapes
Group IV, Series 2, Subseries 3. Beta Tapes
Group IV, Series 2, Subseries 4. Miscellaneous Video Reels
Group IV, Series 2, Subseries 5. Audio-Cassette Tapes
Group IV, Series 2, Subseries 6. Other Audio and Visual Materials
Group IV, Series 3. Artifacts and Oversize Materials (Boxes 640-703; Oversize Items 17-26; 1 Oversize Folder)
Group IV, Series 3 Subseries 1. Awards Plaques
Group IV, Series 3 Subseries 2. Ouachita Citizen
Group IV, Series 3 Subseries 3. Congressional Nursing Home Investigation, ca 1970-1971
Group IV, Series 3 Subseries 4. Miscellaneous Artifacts
Group IV, Series 3 Subseries 5. Miscellaneous Oversize Materials

Acquisition Information

The David Hampton Pryor Papers were donated in two major accessions. Early, congressional, and gubernatorial papers were donated by David H. Pryor on December 26, 1978, following his election to the Senate. The senatorial papers were donated by Senator Pryor on July 21, 2000.