Clint Hill, a Secret Service member who risked his life on November 22, 1963, to safeguard then-President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, died on Friday, February 21. He was 93 years old.
Hill’s wife, Lisa McCubbin Hill, announced his death on Monday, Feb. 24, saying, “He was the essence of a gentleman. He was humble, unselfish, confident, and bold, possessing a wealth of knowledge and experience that spanned from the twentieth century to the present. He understood history because he experienced it.”
Hill was assigned to Jackie Kennedy’s security detail in 1960 and traveled with the first couple to Dallas for their disastrous 1963 campaign tour. On Nov. 22, he was in the motorcade, directly behind the president’s limousine, as they headed to the Dallas Trade Mart, where the president was due to speak.
When a gun rang out, he kept his gaze fixed on the president, who grabbed his throat and collapsed to his left. Hill leaped out of his car and dashed to the presidential limousine amid gunshots. He jumped into the car, hoping to create a barrier between the gunman and the first couple, sacrificing his life to save theirs.
In his most recent book, My Travels with Mrs. Kennedy, Hill confessed that he was so overcome with remorse in the weeks following JFK’s killing that he considered suicide.
Hill, the main agent on Jackie’s detail, flew to Palm Beach, Fla., in December 1963, to accompany the first lady and her two young children, Caroline and John, on a visit with the Kennedy family.
On that occasion, he described a night when he was unable to escape the horrors of the assassination. “Guilt and agony overtook me. All I could think of was Dallas. I raced as fast as I could, reaching out for the trunk’s handholds with my arm, yet my legs felt immobilized. Mrs. Kennedy climbed out of the rear seat, her fearful eyes staring but not seeing me as if I were not present.”
Overwhelmed by the memories, he stepped out into the ocean, completely dressed. “Tears streamed down my cheeks, and as the cold water enveloped my legs, and then my chest, and up to my shoulders, the tears turned to sobs,” he reported. “I wanted the water to swallow me up.”
Over the fury of the waves, he heard someone yell his name, and then a Palm Beach police officer dragged him out of the water.
He described revealing the truth years later as therapeutic. “Somehow, there is a sense of freedom in no longer keeping that darkness to myself,” he wrote in his journal. “I am certain that others will judge me. But no one has ever walked in my shoes.”
Hill entered the Secret Service in 1958 and served five presidents, including Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, and Gerald Ford. He was a witness to history and will be remembered for his bravery on November 22, 1963.
In a commemorative version of his book Five Days in November, his eyewitness account of the assassination co-written with his wife, Hill, debunked long-held conspiracy theories about the k*lling.
The last witness to that day, he told PEOPLE, “We’ll all be gone soon, and there won’t be anyone left to tell the truth.”
“I thought it was important to get this out there—the factual documentation of what happened on Nov. 22, 1963.”
Even 60 years later, the recollections remained vivid.
As he told PEOPLE in 2023, “There has never been any closure.” Every day, an image, a magazine, or a newspaper serves as a reminder.
“I should have done more,” Hill added. “I should have arrived soon, but I know I’m not as swift as a racing bullet. But that gives me remorse, which is tough to deal with.”
Hill is survived by his wife, Lisa McCubbin Hill; his two sons, Chris Hill and Corey Hill; five grandchildren; and two step-grandsons.
Jennifer Bergstrom, senior vice president and publisher of his imprint at Gallery Books, stated, “Clint Hill was an American legend and national treasure who proudly served his country during some of its darkest times. We are proud to be his longtime publisher. Those who had the pleasure of working with him will miss the beloved author.