Sarah Brady (born February 6, 1942) is the wife of former White House Press Secretary James Brady, and a prominent campaigner for gun control.
Life[]
She was born to L. Stanley Kemp, a high school teacher and later FBI agent, and Frances Stufflebean Kemp, a former teacher and homemaker. She has one younger brother, Bill.[1] She was born as Sarah Jane Kemp in Missouri and raised in Alexandria, Virginia.[2]
She graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1964. From 1964 to 1968 she was a public school teacher in Virginia.[2] She married James Brady in Alexandria, Virginia on July 21, 1973.[3] On December 29, 1978, their only son, James Scott Brady, Jr., was born.[4] 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 Sarah Brady worked as director of administration and coordinator of field services for the Republican National Committee.[2]
Her husband sustained a permanently disabling head wound during the Reagan assassination attempt which occurred on March 30, 1981.[5] James Brady remained as Press Secretary for the remainder of Reagan's administration, but this was primarily a titular role.[6]
Alongside her husband, Sarah Brady became "one of the nation's leading crusaders for gun control".[7] They later became active in the lobbying organization (named Handgun Control, Inc.) that would eventually be renamed the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.[8]
Despite her support for gun control, she bought her adult son a hunting rifle as a Christmas present.[9] The New York Daily News suggested she may have "skirted" Delaware's background-check requirements for gun purchases.[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]
Book[]
In 2002, Sarah Brady and Merrill McLoughlin wrote A Good Fight, published by Public Affairs. The book is about her entire life, including a recent battle with lung cancer. According to Library Journal, it is more about her personal battles and her determination and courage than about gun control.[12] In April 2002, Court TV announced a planned TV movie adaptation of the book, to be produced in conjunction with Hearst Entertainment.[13] At the book's launch, Bill Clinton praised her for having "given the gift of life to countless thousands and thousands of Americans".[14] According to Publishers Weekly it gives an "intimate" look at her public and personal life, including a "detailed, suspenseful account" of the efforts to pass the Brady bill.[15] Kirkus Reviews called it "spirited", "cheerful and even homey", portraying Sarah Brady as a "scrapper" who never gives up, despite her husband's injury, her son's medical problems, and her own battle with lung cancer caused by her heavy smoking.[16] The Weekly Standard, a conservative publication, found it left unanswered questions, being almost silent on the topic of firearms and making unsupported claims about how many Americans agree with her campaign.[17]
References[]
- ↑ Brady, Sarah; Merrill McLoughlin (2002). A Good Fight. USA: Public Affairs. ISBN 1-58648-105-3., p. 17.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Read about Sarah Brady". Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 2010. http://www.bradycenter.org/about/bio/sarah. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
- ↑ Brady, p. 36
- ↑ Brady, p. 42
- ↑ Scott Simon (26 March 2011). "Jim Brady, 30 Years Later (radio interview)". NPR Radio. http://www.npr.org/2011/03/26/134878570/Jim-Brady-30-Years-Later. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
- ↑ 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. http://books.google.com/books?id=H_RrLyV9rDUC&pg=PA78&lpg=PA78&dq=james+brady+press+secretary+retained+title&source=bl&ots=OqOXPPtfpS&sig=O--nBxXDO1nMNQnRedROVYMZwIY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ryYdUdqOE7Ot0AHA9oHACg&ved=0CDAQ6AEwADgK#v=onepage&q=james%20brady%20press%20secretary%20retained%20title&f=false.
- ↑ "The Undefeated". 4/1/2002.
- ↑ "About the Brady Campaign: A History of Working to Prevent Gun ownership". Bradycampaign.org. http://www.bradycampaign.org/about/history.php. Retrieved 2009-09-12.
- ↑ "Sarah and Jim Brady's Tests of Love". ABC 2020. http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=123932&page=1. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
- ↑ Burger, Timothy J (March 22, 2002). "BRADY SHADY ON GUN RULES Control backer got son rifle". http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/brady-shady-gun-rules-control-backer-son-rifle-article-1.477603. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
- ↑ "National Winners". Jefferson Awards for Public Service. 2011. http://www.jeffersonawards.org/pastwinners/national. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
- ↑ "A Good Fight (Book)". 5/1/2002.
- ↑ Archerd, Army (April 10, 2002). "Just for Variety". pp. 6-6.
- ↑ "Clinton praises Brady for her gun-control work". March 28, 2002. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/904180/Clinton-praises-Brady-for-her-gun-control-work.html?pg=all. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
- ↑ "Non-fiction Review: A Good Fight". Publishers Weekly. 03/11/2002. http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-58648-105-6. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
- ↑ "A Good Fight (Review)". Kirkus Reviews. Feb. 1st, 2002. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/sarah-brady/a-good-fight/.
- ↑ Lehrer, Eli (July 1, 2002 / July 8, 2002). "A Good Fight (Review)". pp. 43-43.
External links[]
The original article can be found at Sarah Brady and the edit history here.