Clint Hill, the former Secret Service agent who leapt onto the back of former President Kennedy’s limousine in 1963 to shield 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 served in the U.S. Secret Service for nearly two decades, under five presidents: Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford. He eventually became assistant director of protective operations, responsible for all protective forces. Before joining the Secret Service, Hill served in the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Corps.
Hill’s defining moment in his service came in 1963, when he threw himself onto the back of the presidential limousine to shield first lady Jacqueline Kennedy from gunfire.
“Hill’s heroism on November 22, 1963, during the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, made him a worldwide symbol of courage and a revered icon in the U.S. Secret Service. Hill leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of leadership, bravery, and historical preservation,” his family said in their statement.
Hill was awarded the Treasury Department’s highest civilian award for bravery for actions he took 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 age 43 because of physical and emotional issues that stemmed from what is now commonly known as PTSD,” the notice from the family read.
Hill met his wife, McCubbin Hill, in 2009 and they collaborated 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 U.S. Secret Service Director Lew Merletti, also a longtime friend, described Hill 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,” Merletti said in a statement.
Hill is survived by his wife, Lisa McCubbin Hill, his two sons, five grandchildren and two step-grandsons.
The family is asking for donations, in lieu of flowers, to be made to the U.S. Secret Service Association.
