Robert R. Dahlgren Dies; Cared for James Brady After Shooting

Robert R. Dahlgren, a devoted friend of White House Press Secretary James S. Brady who acted as guide and guardian during Brady’s long recuperation from a gunshot wound, died in his sleep Friday night at his home here.

Dahlgren, 53, was a Georgia Republican who became a Washington information officer after a stint in New York as a public-relations man. He met Brady during the Administration of former President Richard M. Nixon, when both worked for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. When the Reagan Administration took over in 1981, Dahlgren was named chief information officer with the Interstate Commerce Commission.

The night after Brady was shot in the head on March 30, 1981, by a would-be assassin who also wounded President Reagan, Dahlgren was with Brady’s wife, Sarah, through the hours of surgery that saved Brady’s life, and through three subsequent operations. Later, he arranged special meals and hospital visits for his friend.

During the long months of recuperation, Dahlgren acted as an inconspicuous escort and advance man when Brady began once again to participate in public events in Washington. Most recently, he was an informal technical adviser for a taped appearance by Brady on ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America” program.

Born in Princeton, Ill., and reared in Macon, Ga., Dahlgren attended Mercer University at Macon and served as a lieutenant in the Army airborne forces. He later began a career in public relations. He is survived by his wife, Francesca, and two daughters.