Notable Pryors

Politician - Roger Atkinson Pryor

Roger Atkinson Pryor born 1828, died 1919. Pryor was a defender of the institution of slavery and a U. S. Congressman. Born to Theodorick Bland Pryor and Lucy Eppes Atkinson in Dinwiddie Co., VA, he practiced law in Charlottesville before embarking on a career in journalism and later politics. He was imprisoned during the Civil War and settled in New York City after the War. (National Biography, published under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies, vol. 17, Oxford University Press, 1999. Article submitted by Daniel E. Sutherland. “The only collection of Pryor papers, consisting mostly of legal correspondence, is in the Perkins Library at Duke University, although Pryor’s correspondence with Butler during the 1870’s was extensive and may be found in Butler’s papers in the Library of Congress. The Congressional Globe contains Pryor’s congressional speeches; his wartime battle reports and references to his activities are located in The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (128 vols., 1880-1901). Pryor’s published writings include The Religious and the Secular Culture (1873) and The Foundation of Professional Success (1911). His wife published two valuable memoirs: Reminiscences of Peace and War (1904); rev. ed. 1905) and My Day: Reminiscences of a Long Life (1909). The Confederate Veteran (1897-1932) mentions incidents in Pryor’s wartime career. The only full biography is Robert S. Holzman, Adapt or Perish: The Life of General Roger A. Pryor, CSA (1976), but Daniel E. Sutherland, The Confederate Carpetbaggers (1988), describes Pryor’s postwar career. Obituaries may be found in the New York Sun, 15 Mar. 1919; Richmond Times-Dispatch, 15 Mar. 1919; and New York Law Journal, 18 Mar. 1919.”)