Secret Service Agent Who Risked His Life to Protect JFK, Clint Hill, Dies at 93

Clint Hill, the legendary Secret Service agent who bravely put his life on the line to protect President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy on November 22, 1963, passed away at the age of 93 on February 21. His wife, Lisa McCubbin Hill, described him as “the epitome of a gentleman”—a humble, selfless, and courageous man whose life spanned some of the most tumultuous moments in modern American history.

Assigned to Jackie Kennedy’s security detail in 1960, Hill was on duty during that fateful Dallas motorcade. When shots rang out that day, he acted without hesitation. Positioned just behind the president’s limousine, Hill leaped from his vehicle and rushed toward the scene amid chaos and gunfire, forming a human shield between danger and the Kennedys. His split-second decision remains one of the most heroic moments captured in the annals of U.S. history.

Beyond that unforgettable day, Hill carried a heavy emotional burden. In his memoir My Travels with Mrs. Kennedy, he opened up about the overwhelming guilt and anguish he experienced in the weeks following the assassination—so intense that he once contemplated ending his own life. During a trip to Palm Beach later that year, the memories of that tragic day became almost too much to bear, leading him to seek solace in the ocean as tears and memories washed over him. He later described this cathartic experience as a way to finally let go of some of that darkness.

Hill’s career with the Secret Service spanned decades, during which he served five presidents—from Eisenhower to Ford. His firsthand account of November 22, 1963, and his candid reflections on the tragedy have helped debunk conspiracy theories and provide a clear-eyed look at one of America’s most defining moments. “I should have done more,” he once admitted, a testament to the relentless pressure and profound responsibility he felt that day.