Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas

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This Day in Arkansas History

August 17, 1995

During the investigations of what came to be called the Whitewater scandal, Susan McDougal and her former husband Jim McDougal were charged with bank fraud, along with Jim Guy Tucker, regarding questionable loans. Susan McDougal was convicted of four felonies: mail fraud, wire fraud, misapplication of funds, and aiding and abetting. Her former husband began cooperating with the Office of the Independent Council (OIC), but she refused to testify, believing that the OIC was interested only in obtaining damaging information on the Clintons. She was imprisoned for almost two years, before ultimately being found not guilty and released.

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Mark Pryor

On January 7, 2003, Mark Pryor was sworn in as Arkansas’s thirty-third U.S. senator. Just months before, Pryor had defeated incumbent Tim Hutchinson, the man who occupied the seat that was once occupied by Pryor’s highly respected father, David Pryor. Previously, the Democratic junior senator had served in the Arkansas House of Representatives and as the state’s attorney general. He lost his U.S. Senate seat to Republican Tom Cotton in 2014.

 

On January 7, 2003, Mark Pryor was sworn in as Arkansas’s thirty-third U.S. senator. Just months before, Pryor had defeated incumbent Tim Hutchinson, the man who occupied the seat that was once occupied by Pryor’s highly respected father, David Pryor. Previously, the Democratic junior senator had served in the Arkansas House of Representatives and as the state’s attorney general. He lost his U.S. Senate seat to Republican Tom Cotton in 2014.

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About the Encyclopedia

The CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas is a free, authoritative source of information about the rich history, geography, and culture of Arkansas. It is updated regularly to ensure the people of Arkansas have an accurate and accessible resource to explore our heritage. We invite you to browse our text entries and media galleries to learn more about the people, places, events, legends, and lore of the 25th state. We are continually adding new entries, photographs, maps, videos, quizzes, lesson plans, and more, so check back frequently to see what’s new.

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