Sarah Brady

Sarah Brady

with James Brady at the White House in 1984
Born Sarah Jane Kemp
February 6, 1942 (1942-02-06)
Kirksville, Missouri
Died April 3, 2015 (2015-04-04) (aged 73)
Alexandria, Virginia
Cause of death Pneumonia
Nationality American
Occupation Gun control advocate
Years active 29

Sarah Jane Brady (née Kemp; February 6, 1942 – April 3, 2015) was a prominent advocate for gun control in the United States. Her husband, James Brady, was press secretary to U.S. president Ronald Reagan.

Life

She was born Sarah Jane Kemp in Kirksville, Missouri[1] to L. Stanley Kemp, a high school teacher and later FBI agent, and Frances (née Stufflebean) Kemp, a former teacher and homemaker. She had a younger brother, Bill.[2] She was raised in Alexandria, Virginia,[3] where she graduated from Francis C. Hammond High School in 1959.[1]

She graduated from the College of William & Mary in 1964. From 1964 to 1968 she was a public school teacher in Virginia.[3] She married James Brady in Alexandria on July 21, 1973.[4] On December 29, 1978, their only child, James "Scott" Brady Jr., was born.[5]

From 1968 to 1970 she worked as assistant to the campaign director for the National Republican Congressional Committee. She then worked as an administrative aide, first for Mike McKevitt (R-CO) and then for Joseph J. Maraziti (R-NJ). From 1974 to 1978, she worked as director of administration and coordinator of field services for the Republican National Committee.[3]

Her husband sustained a permanently disabling head wound during the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan, which occurred on March 30, 1981.[6] James Brady remained as Press Secretary for the remainder of Reagan's administration, primarily in a titular role.[7]

Alongside her husband, Sarah Brady became "one of the nation's leading crusaders for gun control".[8] They later became active in the lobbying organization Handgun Control, Inc. that would eventually be renamed the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.[9] She was chairwoman of the Brady Campaign from 2000 until her death in 2015.[10]

In 1994, she and her husband received the S. Roger Horchow Award for Greatest Public Service by a Private Citizen, an award given out annually by Jefferson Awards.[11]

Death

Sarah Brady died at the age of 73 on April 3, 2015, in Alexandria, Virginia, from pneumonia.[12] Her husband James had died at the same age in the previous year, on August 4, 2014.[13]

Book

In 2002, Sarah Brady published her autobiography, A Good Fight.[14] According to Library Journal, it is more about her personal battles and her determination and courage than about gun control.[15]

In April 2002, Court TV announced a planned television movie adaptation of the book, to be produced in conjunction with Hearst Entertainment.[16] At the book's launch, Bill Clinton praised her for having "given the gift of life to countless thousands and thousands of Americans".[17]

The book gives an "intimate" look at her public and personal life, including a "detailed, suspenseful account" of the efforts to pass the Brady Bill, according to Publishers Weekly, which suggested that "fans of [Katharine] Graham's Personal History may enjoy this story of a determined woman in a male-dominated Washington."[18]

Kirkus Reviews called it "spirited," portraying Brady as a "scrapper" who never gives up, despite her husband's injury, her son's medical problems, and her own battle with smoking and lung cancer.[19]

References

  1. 1 2 Thurber, Jon (April 3, 2015). "Sarah Brady, longtime advocate for gun control, dies at 73". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  2. ↑ Brady, Sarah (2002). A Good Fight. With Merrill McLoughlin. New York: PublicAffairs. p. 17. ISBN 9781586481056.
  3. 1 2 3 "Jim and Sarah Brady". Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. April 2015. Archived from the original on April 5, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  4. ↑ Brady, p. 36
  5. ↑ Brady, p. 42
  6. ↑ Brady, Jim; Brady, Sarah (March 26, 2011). Jim Brady, 30 Years Later. Transcript with Scott Simon. Weekend Edition. NPR. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  7. ↑ Carter, Gregg Lee (2002). Guns in American Society: An Encyclopedia of History, Politics, Culture, and the Law, Volume 1. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. p. 78. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  8. ↑ "The Undefeated". People Magazine 57 (12). April 1, 2002. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  9. ↑ Hwa, Nancy M.; Knox, Rebecca (2012). "Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence". In Carter, Gregg Lee. Guns in American Society 1 (2nd ed.). Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. pp. 103–105. ISBN 9780313386718. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  10. ↑ Almasy, Steve (April 4, 2015). "Sarah Brady, widow of James Brady, dies at 73". CNN. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  11. ↑ "National Winners". Jefferson Awards for Public Service. 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
  12. ↑ Stack, Liam (April 4, 2015). "Sarah Brady, Gun Control Activist, Is Dead at 73". The New York Times. p. D8.
  13. ↑ Merica, Dan (August 5, 2014). "James Brady, former Reagan press secretary and gun-control advocate, dies". CNN. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  14. ↑ Brady, Sarah (2002). A Good Fight. With Merrill McLoughlin. New York: PublicAffairs. ISBN 9781586481056. OCLC 49002031.
  15. ↑ "A Good Fight (Book)". Library Journal 127 (8). May 1, 2002.
  16. ↑ Archerd, Army (April 10, 2002). "Just for Variety". Variety: 6.
  17. ↑ "Clinton praises Brady for her gun-control work". Deseret News. March 28, 2002. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Non-fiction Review: A Good Fight". Publishers Weekly. May 2002. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  19. ↑ "A Good Fight (Review)". Kirkus Reviews. February 1, 2002.

External links

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