Luke Pryor (July 5, 1820August 5, 1900) was a

U.S. senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from the state of

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

. He was appointed to fill the Senate term left by the death of George S. Houston and served from January 7 to November 23, 1880, when a replacement was elected. Pryor was a Democrat. He is interred at City Cemetery in Athens, Alabama.

Biography

Birth and Parentage

He was born in 1820 in

to parents Luke Pryor and Ann Batte Lane. His father's first marriage was to Martha Scott, a sister of General

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early s ...

. His brother was the noted race horse trainer

John Benjamin Pryor John Benjamin Pryor (1812 – December 26, 1890), was an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. He trained Lexington, a top racehorse of the 1850s whose excellence in competition and reputation as a sire stud continued well into the 20th ce ...

Natchez, Mississippi Natchez ( ) is the county seat of and only city in Adams County, Mississippi, United States. Natchez has a total population of 14,520 (as of the 2020 census). Located on the Mississippi River across from Vidalia in Concordia Parish, Louisiana, N ...

Life in Alabama

Pryor married Isabella Virginia Harris. They were the parents of 8 children, all born in Alabama. Luke Pryor lived at the Sugar Creek Plantation, in

Athens, Alabama Athens is a city in and the county seat of Limestone County, Alabama, Limestone County, in the U.S. state of Alabama; it is included in the Huntsville-Decatur-Albertville, AL Combined Statistical Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 c ...

, for 40 years before his death.
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Pryor House
, built in 1836, stands as a historic building in Limestone County, Alabama. Pryor studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1841. On the 1850 United States Census his occupation was recorded as "lawyer." Luke Pryor was a slave owner. On the 1840 Census 6 free blacks under the age of 10 were recorded in his father's household, as well as 1 male slave child under 10 and an older female between the ages of 55 and 100. By 1850, Luke Pryor was recorded with 39 slaves between the ages of 70 years old and as young as 4 months; however in 1860 only two slaves were recorded in his household. The

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

did not begin until April 12, 1861, and slavery was not completely abolished until 1865 after the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment.

References

External links

* 1820 births 1900 deaths People from Athens, Alabama Democratic Party members of the Alabama House of Representatives Democratic Party United States senators from Alabama Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama 19th-century American politicians {{Alabama-politician-stub