Clint Hill, the former Secret Service agent who threw himself onto President John F. Kennedy’s limousine in a desperate attempt to protect him during the infamous assassination, has died at the age of 93. Hill passed away peacefully at his home in California, leaving behind a legacy marked by unwavering dedication and an extraordinary career in service to five U.S. presidents.
Hill was assigned to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s detail in Dallas on November 22, 1963, when tragedy struck. As President Kennedy was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald while riding in an open car, Hill, who was traveling in the car directly behind the president’s, made an immediate decision to act. Without hesitation, he jumped onto the back of the limo, trying to shield the president and his wife from further danger.
Despite the tragic outcome of that day, Hill always carried the weight of wondering if he could have done more. In a candid interview years later, he said, “If I had reacted just a little bit quicker, I’ll live with that to my grave.” The now-iconic image of Hill scrambling up the trunk of the presidential vehicle to shield the couple remains a haunting symbol of the devotion and courage he exhibited in that moment.
After Kennedy’s death, Hill continued to serve in the Secret Service, protecting Presidents Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Dwight Eisenhower. He retired at 43 and went on to write several books, including Five Days in November, which recounted the harrowing events surrounding the assassination, and Five Presidents, a memoir chronicling his years of service to the nation’s leaders.
In his later years, Hill reflected on how that one tragic day reshaped his life forever. “In the blink of an eye, everything changed,” he wrote. And for Clint Hill, that moment in Dealey Plaza would stay etched in his heart and mind for the rest of his days.
