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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | August 18, 2014 12:56 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Madeleine Dean |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Condolence Resolution Honoring the Life and Service of Mr. James Scott Brady, Sr., former White House Press Secretary |
| In the near future, I will be introducing a resolution honoring the life and service of James Scott Brady, Sr., former White House Press Secretary, who died on August 4, 2014 at the age of 73. Mr. Brady was born in Centralia, Illinois on August 29, 1940. Upon graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1962, Mr. Brady began his career in public service as a staff member in the office of Illinois Senator Everett Dirksen. In 1981, Mr. Brady achieved a lifelong career goal when President Ronald Reagan appointed him Assistant to the President and White House Press Secretary. His service to the president was cut short on March 30, 1981, when a mentally unstable man, John Hinckley, attempted to assassinate President Reagan. During the attempt, Mr. Brady suffered a serious head wound that left him partially paralyzed. Although he never worked as press secretary after the shooting, Mr. Brady kept the title for the remainder of President Reagan’s presidency. After leaving the White House, Mr. Brady spent countless hours lobbying with his wife Sarah, in support of common-sense gun laws. On November 30, 1993, after a six-year effort for its passage, President Clinton signed into law the Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act. In December 2000, the Boards of Trustees for Handgun Control, Inc. and the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence honored James and Sarah Brady by renaming their organization The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. On February 11, 2000, President Clinton officially named the White House Press Briefing Room “The James S. Brady Press Briefing Room” in his honor. And on August 4, 2014, in a condolence statement by Press Secretary Josh Earnest and nine other former press secretaries, Mr. Brady was remembered as “always [doing] his job with the highest integrity. He had a true affection and respect for the press, relished a good sparring with the front row, and was an unfailing defender of the President and the value of a free press.” Please join me in recognizing and honoring Mr. Brady’s memory, service, and legacy. |
Introduced as HR1076