- James Brady
James Scott “Jim” Brady (born
August 29 ,1940 ,Centralia, Illinois ) is a former Assistant to the President andWhite House Press Secretary under PresidentRonald Reagan . After nearly being killed and becoming permanently disabled as a result of an assassination attempt on Reagan in 1981, Brady became an ardent supporter ofgun control .Private life
Brady was born in
Centralia, Illinois and attended St. Mary Grade School in Centralia, which was across the street from his house. He joined the Boy Scouts, attained the rank of Eagle Scout, and is a recipient of theDistinguished Eagle Scout Award from theBoy Scouts of America .Brady divorced his first wife and married Sarah Kemp in
Arlington, Virginia on July 21, 1973. On December 29, 1978, their only son, James Scott Brady, Jr., was born.Early career
In 1962, Brady graduated from the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with aBachelor of Science degree inpolitical science . During his time at U of I he was initiated into theSigma Chi fraternity. Brady began his career in public service as a staff member in the office of Illinois SenatorEverett Dirksen . During the summer of 1962, he was an Honor Intern at theUS Department of Justice Anti-Trust Division.He held many positions in the private sector, including faculty member at
Southern Illinois University (1964–1965), Assistant National Sales Manager and Executive Manager to the President of Lear-Seigler (1965–1966), Director of Legislation and Public Affairs for the Illinois State Medical Society (1966–1968), Whitaker and Baxter's Chicago Office Manager (1968–1969), Executive and Vice President of James and Thomas Advertising and Public Relations (1969–1973).He then moved to the public sector. In the next few years, he served as Special Assistant to the
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (1973–1975), Special Assistant to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (1975–1976), Assistant to theSecretary of Defense (1976–1977), member of the staff of SenatorWilliam Roth (1976–1977). He also served as Press Secretary to then presidential candidateJohn Connally .White House Press Secretary
U.S. President Ronald Reagan appointed Brady as his press secretary on
January 20 ,1981 . Although Brady never worked as press secretary after the shooting, he kept the title for the remainder of Reagan's presidency and those who actually performed the function of press secretary were styled "deputy press secretary."hooting
Brady was among those shot during
John Hinckley, Jr. 'sMarch 30 ,1981 , assassination attempt on Reagan, suffering a serious head wound. During the confusion that followed after the shooting,Dan Rather ofCBS News erroneously reported that Brady had died. [ [http://cytowic.net/Selected_Articles/Brady/brady.html The Long Ordeal of James Brady] ] . Although he survived, the wound left Brady partially paralyzed for life; he is a full-timewheelchair user.Handgun control advocate
Brady subsequently led lobbying efforts for stricter
handgun control and is in the leadership of theBrady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence . TheBrady Handgun Violence Prevention Act , also known simply as the Brady Bill, was named in his honor.He and his wife, Sarah, have founded the
Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence .Sarah and James Brady were each awarded a doctorate degree (of Humane Letters) byDrexel University in 1993.In 1996, he received the
Presidential Medal of Freedom from PresidentBill Clinton , the highest civilian award in the United States. [ [http://www.bradycenter.org/about/jimandsarahbio.php About Jim and Sarah Brady at Bradycenter.com] ]James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
In 2000, the Press Briefing Room at the White House was renamed after Brady as the
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room .References
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