James Brady
Encyclopedia
James Scott "Jim" Brady (born August 29, 1940) is a former Assistant to the President
and White House Press Secretary
under U.S. President Ronald 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 of gun control
.
in the Boy Scouts of America
and attended St. Mary Catholic Grade School in Centralia, Illinois
. In 1962, Brady graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
with a Bachelor of Science
degree in political science
, and was initiated into the Sigma Chi
fraternity there. He began his career in public service as a staff member in the office of Illinois Senator
Everett Dirksen
. During the summer of 1962, he was an Honor Intern at the United States Department of Justice Antitrust 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), and Executive and Vice President of James and Thomas Advertising and Public Relations (1969–1973).
Brady then moved to the public sector
. In 1970 he was the campaign manager for Phyllis Schlafly
's run for congress in a southern Illinois district. 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 the Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
(1976–1977), and member of the staff of Senator William Roth
(1976–1977). He also served as Press Secretary to presidential candidate John Connally
in 1980.
Brady was among those shot during John Hinckley, Jr.
's March 30, 1981, assassination attempt on Reagan
, suffering a serious head wound. During the confusion that followed after the shooting, all major media outlets erroneously reported that Brady had died. Later, when ABC News
anchorman Frank Reynolds
, a friend of Brady's, was forced to retract the report, he angrily stated on-air to his staff, "C'mon, let's get it nailed down!" – resulting in Sam Donaldson
joining him after commercial. During the hours-long operation, surgeon Dr. Arthur Kobrine was informed of the media's announcement of Brady's death, to which he retorted, "No one has told me and the patient."
Although Brady survived, the wound left him with slurred speech and partial paralysis that required the full-time use of a wheelchair
. His neurosurgeon, Arthur Kobrine, described him as having difficulty controlling his emotions while speaking after the shooting, saying "he would kind of cry-talk for a while", and suffering deficits in memory and thinking, such as failing to recognize people. However, Kobrine said that 30 years later, Brady could walk and had recovered almost all speech and cognitive function.
Brady was unable to continue as Ronald Reagan's press secretary, but he retained that title for the duration of Reagan's presidency, with Larry Speakes
and Marlin Fitzwater
performing the job on an "acting" or "deputy" basis.
control
and assault weapon restrictions. The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act
, also known simply as "the Brady Bill", was named in his honor.
Brady received the honorary degree of doctor of laws from McKendree College, Lebanon, Illinois
, in 1982. Both Sarah and James Brady were each awarded a doctorate degree (of Humane Letters
) by Drexel University
in 1993. In 1996, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom
from President Bill Clinton
, the highest civilian award in the United States.
In 2000, the Press Briefing Room at the White House was renamed after Brady as the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room.
.
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
and White House Press Secretary
White House Press Secretary
The White House Press Secretary is a senior White House official whose primary responsibility is to act as spokesperson for the government administration....
under U.S. President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
. After nearly being killed and becoming permanently disabled as a result of an assassination attempt on Reagan in 1981
Reagan assassination attempt
The Reagan assassination attempt occurred on Monday, March 30, 1981, just 69 days into the presidency of Ronald Reagan. While leaving a speaking engagement at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., President Reagan and three others were shot and wounded by John Hinckley, Jr...
, Brady became an ardent supporter of gun control
Gun politics
Gun politics addresses safety issues and ideologies related to firearms through criminal and noncriminal use. Gun politics deals with rules, regulations, and restrictions on the use, ownership, and distribution of firearms.-National sovereignty:...
.
Early career
Brady is an Eagle ScoutEagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)
Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America . A Scout who attains this rank is called an Eagle Scout or Eagle. Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than 2 million young men...
in the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
and attended St. Mary Catholic Grade School in Centralia, Illinois
Centralia, Illinois
Centralia is a town located in Marion, Washington, Clinton, and Jefferson Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 13,032 at the 2010 census. The town was founded because it was the point where the two original branches of the Illinois Central Railroad, built in 1853, converged....
. In 1962, Brady graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
with a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
, and was initiated into the Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...
fraternity there. He began his career in public service as a staff member in the office of Illinois Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Everett Dirksen
Everett Dirksen
Everett McKinley Dirksen was an American politician of the Republican Party. He represented Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate...
. During the summer of 1962, he was an Honor Intern at the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division
United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division
The United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division is responsible for enforcing the antitrust laws of the United States. It shares jurisdiction over civil antitrust cases with the Federal Trade Commission and often works jointly with the FTC to provide regulatory guidance to businesses...
.
He held many positions in the private sector
Private sector
In economics, the private sector is that part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is run by private individuals or groups, usually as a means of enterprise for profit, and is not controlled by the state...
, including faculty member at Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University is a state university system based in Carbondale, Illinois, in the Southern Illinois region of the state, with multiple campuses...
(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), and Executive and Vice President of James and Thomas Advertising and Public Relations (1969–1973).
Brady then moved to the public sector
Public sector
The public sector, sometimes referred to as the state sector, is a part of the state that deals with either the production, delivery and allocation of goods and services by and for the government or its citizens, whether national, regional or local/municipal.Examples of public sector activity range...
. In 1970 he was the campaign manager for Phyllis Schlafly
Phyllis Schlafly
Phyllis McAlpin Stewart Schlafly is a Constitutional lawyer and an American politically conservative activist and author who founded the Eagle Forum. She is known for her opposition to modern feminism ideas and for her campaign against the proposed Equal Rights Amendment...
's run for congress in a southern Illinois district. 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 the Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the oldest person to...
(1976–1977), and member of the staff of Senator William Roth
William V. Roth, Jr.
William Victor "Bill" Roth, Jr. was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a veteran of World War II and a member of the Republican Party, who served as U.S. Representative and U.S...
(1976–1977). He also served as Press Secretary to presidential candidate John Connally
John Connally
John Bowden Connally, Jr. , was an influential American politician, serving as the 39th governor of Texas, Secretary of the Navy under President John F. Kennedy, and as Secretary of the Treasury under President Richard M. Nixon. While he was Governor in 1963, Connally was a passenger in the car in...
in 1980.
Shooting
John Hinckley, Jr.
John Warnock Hinckley, Jr., attempted to assassinate U.S. President Ronald Reagan in Washington, D.C., on March 30, 1981, as the culmination of an effort to impress teen actress Jodie Foster. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and has remained under institutional psychiatric care since...
's March 30, 1981, assassination attempt on Reagan
Reagan assassination attempt
The Reagan assassination attempt occurred on Monday, March 30, 1981, just 69 days into the presidency of Ronald Reagan. While leaving a speaking engagement at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., President Reagan and three others were shot and wounded by John Hinckley, Jr...
, suffering a serious head wound. During the confusion that followed after the shooting, all major media outlets erroneously reported that Brady had died. Later, when ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
anchorman Frank Reynolds
Frank Reynolds
Frank James Reynolds was an American television journalist for ABC and CBS News.He was a New York-based anchor of the ABC Evening News from 1968 to 1970 and later as the Washington D.C.-based co-anchor of World News Tonight from 1978 until his death in 1983...
, a friend of Brady's, was forced to retract the report, he angrily stated on-air to his staff, "C'mon, let's get it nailed down!" – resulting in Sam Donaldson
Sam Donaldson
Samuel Andrew "Sam" Donaldson, Jr. is a reporter and news anchor, serving with ABC News from 1967 to the present, best known as the network's White House Correspondent and as a panelist and later co-anchor of the network's Sunday Program "This Week."-Early life and career:Donaldson was born in El...
joining him after commercial. During the hours-long operation, surgeon Dr. Arthur Kobrine was informed of the media's announcement of Brady's death, to which he retorted, "No one has told me and the patient."
Although Brady survived, the wound left him with slurred speech and partial paralysis that required the full-time use of a wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
. His neurosurgeon, Arthur Kobrine, described him as having difficulty controlling his emotions while speaking after the shooting, saying "he would kind of cry-talk for a while", and suffering deficits in memory and thinking, such as failing to recognize people. However, Kobrine said that 30 years later, Brady could walk and had recovered almost all speech and cognitive function.
Brady was unable to continue as Ronald Reagan's press secretary, but he retained that title for the duration of Reagan's presidency, with Larry Speakes
Larry Speakes
Larry M. Speakes is a former acting spokesman for the White House under President Ronald Reagan, having held the position from 1981 to 1987.Speakes was born in Cleveland, Mississippi...
and Marlin Fitzwater
Marlin Fitzwater
Max Marlin Fitzwater was White House Press Secretary for six years under presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, making him one of the longest-serving press secretaries in history.-Early life:...
performing the job on an "acting" or "deputy" basis.
Handgun control advocate
Together with his wife, Sarah, who served as Chair of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, formerly known as Handgun Control, Inc., co-founded by N.T. Pete Shields, Brady subsequently lobbied for stricter handgunHandgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
control
Gun control
Gun control is any law, policy, practice, or proposal designed to restrict or limit the possession, production, importation, shipment, sale, and/or use of guns or other firearms by private citizens...
and assault weapon restrictions. The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act
Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act
The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act is an Act of the United States Congress that, for the first time, instituted federal background checks on firearm purchasers in the United States....
, also known simply as "the Brady Bill", was named in his honor.
Brady received the honorary degree of doctor of laws from McKendree College, Lebanon, Illinois
Lebanon, Illinois
Lebanon is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,523 at the 2000 census. Like many other places in "Little Egypt" or Southern Illinois, Lebanon was named after the Middle Eastern country of the same name. It is a part of the Metro-East region of the Greater St...
, in 1982. Both Sarah and James Brady were each awarded a doctorate degree (of Humane Letters
Doctor of Humane Letters
The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters is always conferred as an honorary degree, usually to those who have distinguished themselves in areas other than science, government, literature or religion, which are awarded degrees of Doctor of Science, Doctor of Laws, Doctor of Letters, or Doctor of...
) by Drexel University
Drexel University
Drexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...
in 1993. In 1996, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
from President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, the highest civilian award in the United States.
James S. Brady press briefing room
Portrayals in film
Brady's recovery after the shooting was dramatized in the 1991 film Without Warning: The James Brady Story, with Brady portrayed by Beau BridgesBeau Bridges
Lloyd Vernet "Beau" Bridges III is an American actor and director.- Early life :Bridges was born in Los Angeles, the son of actor Lloyd Bridges and his college sweetheart, Dorothy Bridges . He was nicknamed "Beau" by his mother and father after Ashley Wilkes's son in Gone with the Wind, the book...
.