Samuel B. Pryor

"The first mayor of Dallas was Dr. Samuel B. Pryor, 1856-57, in the days when Dallas was not yet broken to ride, and when the authority of the mayor was not much regarded by the people. He was called 'Old Doc Pryor,' not because of his age, but because the adjective seemed to fit him. Some men are born old. He was gruff and outspoken, feared not to speak the truth, had seen life and had seen death, and knew that the former was not as bad as it might be, nor the latter as terrible as most people consider it. He was a good mayor, because he did things when he saw they should be done. Of course he had no great problems to face, and yet his was no easy task, and the doctor lost friends through his exercise of authority, and gained others for the same reason."
-History of Greater Dallas and Vicinity, Vol.1



Samuel partnered with his brother Dr. Charles R. Pryor in the practice of medicine. This ad appeared in the Dallas Herald, December 8, 1855: 
Having associated ourselves in the practice of medi-
cine, we very respectfully offer our professional 
sevices to the public generally and will give
strict attention to all cases entrusted to our care.



"Like their contemporaries, the circuit-riding preachers, these pioneer doctors of medicine made their rounds on horseback carrying the tools of their trade in saddlebags, and stood ready to minister to the sick and dying at all hours and in all weathers. Surgery was generally limited to the amputation of mangled limbs and the treatment of wounds."
-WPA, Dallas Guide and History



Medicine and Politics

There was not much money to be made from the small population of Dallas at that time. To compensate for this, many physicians held other jobs. Because they were the more educated in the community, doctors often became involved in civic affairs.

Dr. Pryor served as District Clerk for Dallas County from December, 1846 to August, 1850. When the town of Dallas was incorporated in 1856, he was elected its first mayor. He received 58 votes. His opponent, Dr. A. D. Rice, received 34.



The marriage record for Samuel B. Pryor and Anna M. Powell



Obituary -The Dallas Herald, 20 October 1866

We are pained to have to announce this week, the death of one of the oldest citizens of Dallas - Dr. SAMUEL B. PRYOR - who departed this life on Thursday morning last, after a lingering illness of several months. For the past twelve months he has been confined to his house except at occasional intervals, and although his death has been looked for for some months, yet when the announcement was made on Thursday morning, it came with a suddenness that attacked the whole community. He leaves a large family and a host of friends to mourn his death. His remains were attended to their last resting place by the Masons, of which fraternity he has been an old and enthusiastic member, and were consigned to the tomb with the peculiar and interesting ceremonies of the order.

The death of such a man as Dr. Pryor demands at our hands, more than the ordinary announcement. He has been a resident of this place almost ever since it had a name. A man of fine intellect, thorough education, and acknowledged ability and experience in his profession, he has wielded a large influence in this community.

Dr. Pryor was born in Lawrenceville, Brunswick County, Va., August 19th, 1820, and graduated at Hampden Sydney College, in 1844. In the same year, he removed to Paraclifta, Arkansas, where he was married in March, 1846, and in the Fall of the same year, came to this county, and settled in the Town of Dallas, where he has pursued, with eminent success, the practice of his profession, up to the time of his death.


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