| James Scott Brady | |
|---|---|
| James Brady (1981) | |
| 15th White House Press Secretary | |
| In office 1981–1989 |
|
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Jody Powell |
| Succeeded by | Larry Speakes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 29, 1940 Centralia, Illinois |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
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.
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Brady is an Eagle Scout 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.
After being on the faculty at Southern Illinois University (1964–1965), he held many positions in the private sector, including 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[1] (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!"[2] – 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."[3]
Although Brady survived, the wound left him with slurred speech and partial paralysis that required the full-time use of a wheelchair.[4] 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.[5]
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.
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 handgun 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. 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.
Brady's recovery after the shooting was dramatized in the 1991 film Without Warning: The James Brady Story, with Brady portrayed by Beau Bridges.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jody Powell |
White House Press Secretary 1981-1989 (did not brief the press after March 30, 1981) |
Succeeded by Larry Speakes |
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