1Honoring the life and legacy of former White House Press
2Secretary James Scott Brady, Sr., and extending condolences 
3to his family and friends.

4WHEREAS, Mr. James Scott Brady, Sr., was born in Centralia,
5Illinois on August 29, 1940; and

6WHEREAS, In 1962, Mr. Brady graduated from the University of
7Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, earning a bachelor of science
8degree in political science; and

9WHEREAS, Mr. Brady began his career in public service as a
10staff member in the office of Illinois Senator Everett Dirksen;
11and

12WHEREAS, In 1973, Mr. Brady relocated to Washington, DC; and

13WHEREAS, Mr. Brady went on to serve as Special Assistant to
14the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Special
15Assistant to the Director of the Office of Management and

1Budget, Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, a member of the
2staff of Senator William Roth, Press Secretary to then-
3presidential candidate John Connally, Director of Public Affairs
4and Research for the Reagan-Bush Committee and Spokesperson for
5the Office of the President-Elect; and

6WHEREAS, In January 1981, Mr. Brady achieved a lifelong
7career goal when President Ronald Reagan appointed him Assistant
8to the President and White House Press Secretary; and

9WHEREAS, Mr. Brady's service to the presidency was cut short
10on March 30, 1981, when a mentally unstable young man, John
11Hinckley, attempted to assassinate President Reagan, shooting
12the President, Mr. Brady and two law enforcement officers; and

13WHEREAS, Mr. Brady suffered a serious head wound that left
14him partially paralyzed for life; and

15WHEREAS, Although he never worked as White House Press
16Secretary after the shooting, Mr. Brady kept the title for the
17remainder of President Reagan's presidency; and

18WHEREAS, After leaving the White House, Mr. Brady spent
19countless hours lobbying with his wife, Sarah, Chair of the
20Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, in support of
21commonsense gun laws; and

22WHEREAS, On November 30, 1993, after a six-year battle,
23President Bill Clinton signed the Brady Handgun Violence
24Protection Act into law; and

25WHEREAS, The law required that every sale of a gun by a
26licensed dealer be referred to law enforcement for a background
27check; and

28WHEREAS, In 1996, Mr. Brady received the Presidential Medal
29of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States,
30from President Clinton; and

1WHEREAS, On February 11, 2000, President Clinton officially
2named the White House Press Briefing Room "The James S. Brady
3Press Briefing Room" in Mr. Brady's honor; and

4WHEREAS, In December 2000, the boards of trustees for Handgun
5Control and the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence voted to
6honor Mr. Brady and his wife's hard work and commitment to gun
7control by renaming the two organizations The Brady Campaign to
8Prevent Gun Violence and The Brady Center to Prevent Gun
9Violence; and

10WHEREAS, Mr. Brady served as an honorary member of the board
11of trustees of both The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
12and The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence; and

13WHEREAS, Mr. Brady was the recipient of the Distinguished
14Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America and was a
15member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity; and

16WHEREAS, Mr. Brady departed this life on August 4, 2014, at
1773 years of age, following a series of health complications;
18therefore be it

19RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives honor the life 
20and legacy of former White House Press Secretary James Scott 
21Brady, Sr., and extend condolences to his family and friends; 
22and be it further

23RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to
24the family of Mr. James Scott Brady, Sr.