Sarah Brady | |
|---|---|
 Brady in 1984 | |
| Born | Sarah Jane Kemp (1942-02-06)February 6, 1942 |
| Died | April 3, 2015(2015-04-03) (aged 73) |
| Occupation | Gun control advocate |
| Years active | 1986–2015 |
| Spouse | |
| Signature | |
 | |
Sarah Jane Brady (néeKemp; February 6, 1942 – April 3, 2015) was a prominent advocate forgun control in the United States. Her husband,James Brady, waspress secretary to U.S. presidentRonald Reagan and was left permanently disabled as a result of anassassination attempt on Reagan.
She was bornSarah Jane Kemp inKirksville, Missouri[1] to L. Stanley Kemp, a high school teacher and laterFBI agent, and Frances (née Stufflebean) Kemp, a former teacher and homemaker. She had a younger brother, Bill.[2] She was raised inAlexandria, Virginia,[3] where she graduated fromFrancis C. Hammond High School in 1959.[1]
She graduated from theCollege 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 theNational Republican Congressional Committee. She then worked as an administrative aide, first forMike McKevitt (R-CO) and then forJoseph J. Maraziti (R-NJ). From 1974 to 1978, she worked as director of administration and coordinator of field services for theRepublican National Committee.[3]
Her husband sustained a permanently disabling head wound during theattempted 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 theBrady 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 byJefferson Awards.[11] In 1994, she and her husband received the Golden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement.[12]
Sarah Brady died at the age of 73 on April 3, 2015, in Alexandria, Virginia, frompneumonia.[13] Her husband James had died at the same age in the previous year, on August 4, 2014.[14]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Booknotes interview with Brady onA Good Fight, May 5, 2002.,C-SPAN |
In 2002, Sarah Brady published her autobiography,A Good Fight.[15] According toLibrary Journal, it is more about her personal battles and her determination and courage than about gun control.[16]
In April 2002,Court TV announced a planned television movie adaptation of the book, to be produced in conjunction with Hearst Entertainment.[17] At the book's launch,Bill Clinton praised her for having "given the gift of life to countless thousands and thousands of Americans".[18]
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 toPublishers Weekly, which suggested that "fans of[Katharine] Graham'sPersonal History may enjoy this story of a determined woman in a male-dominated Washington."[19]
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 andlung cancer.[20]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
