Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas

James Wesley Pruden Jr., who served the Washington Times as a reporter, editor, and columnist for more than three decades, was found dead in his home. The Little Rock (Pulaski County) native had joined in 1953 while still a student and stayed on until 1956, when he moved to Memphis to begin reporting for the Commercial Appeal before moving to the nation’s capital in 1963. In Washington DC, he became a political correspondent with the National Observer. After the paper folded in 1976, he would attempt to write a novel before being convinced by a friend to join the staff of the Washington Times.