Clint Hill, the former Secret Service agent who jumped onto the back of former President John F. Kennedy’s limousine in 1963 to protect the first lady from gunfire, died on Friday at his home. He was 93.
Hill “passed away peacefully at home with his beloved wife, Lisa McCubbin Hill, by his side,” his family said in a statement Monday.
Hill worked in the United States Secret Service for nearly two decades, under five presidents: Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford. He eventually became the assistant director of protective operations, in charge of all protective forces. Hill previously worked for the United States Army Counterintelligence Corps before joining the Secret Service.
Hill’s defining moment in service occurred in 1963, when he threw himself onto the back of the presidential limousine to protect first lady Jacqueline Kennedy from gunfire.
“Hill’s heroic actions on November 22, 1963, during President John F. Kennedy’s assassination established him as a global symbol of courage and a revered icon in the United States Secret Service. Hill leaves an extraordinary legacy of leadership, bravery, and historical preservation, according to his family’s statement.
Hill received the Treasury Department’s highest civilian award for bravery for his actions on the day Kennedy was assassinated.
Hill retired from the Secret Service in 1975. He revealed in a “60 Minutes” interview that “he was forced to retire from the job he loved at the age of 43 because of physical and emotional issues that stemmed from what is now commonly known as PTSD,” according to the family’s notice.
Hill met his wife, McCubbin Hill, in 2009, and the two worked on four New York Times bestsellers: “Mrs. Kennedy and Me,” “Five Days in November,” “Five Presidents,” and “My Travels with Mrs. Kennedy.”
“We had that once-in-a-lifetime love that everyone hopes for,” McCubbin Hill said in the statement. “We were soulmates.”
Former US Secret Service Director Lew Merletti, Hill’s longtime friend, described him as “more than a hero — he was a man of profound humility, dedication, and unwavering integrity.”
“Beyond the remarkable courage he displayed in 1963, he embodied our code to be ‘Worthy of Trust and Confidence,’ setting an extraordinary standard of leadership and providing inspiration for generations to come,” a statement from Merletti read.
Hill is survived by his wife, Lisa McCubbin Hill; two sons; five grandchildren; and two step-grandsons.
Instead of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the United States Secret Service Association.
