David H. Pryor, a liberal Democrat who won two terms as governor of Arkansas and three in the United States Senate, and who paved the way for the political rise of his young ally Bill Clinton in an era of changing racial attitudes in the South, died on Saturday at his home in Little Rock.
His death was announced by his son Mark, himself a former two-term United States senator.
Mr. Pryor was eight years older than Mr. Clinton, and they didn’t know each other well until they became accomplished politicians.
They both grew up in segregated small towns in Arkansas, raised by families of modest means and liberal outlook, who resisted pressures to scorn their Black neighbors.
Mr. Clinton’s maternal grandparents, who raised him, ran a small grocery store and during the harsh winters sold goods on credit to people of all races.
Persons:
David H, Pryor, Bill Clinton, Mark, Clinton, Pryor’s, Clinton’s
Organizations:
Democrat, United States Senate, United
Locations:
Arkansas, Little Rock, United States, British Guiana