Legendary Secret Service Agent and Best-Selling Author Clint Hill Passes Away at 93

Clinton J. “Clint” Hill, 93, renowned Secret Service agent and bestselling author, passed away peacefully at home in Belvedere, California, on February 21 with his beloved wife, Lisa McCubbin Hill, by his side. Hill’s heroism on November 22, 1963, during the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, made him a symbol of courage and a revered icon in the Secret Service. 

Born January 4, 1932, in Larimore, North Dakota, Hill was adopted as an infant by Chris and Jennie Hill and raised in Washburn. After graduating from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, Hill served in the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Corps before embarking on a distinguished career with the United States Secret Service. Sworn in as a special agent in the Denver field office in 1958, Hill served under five U.S. presidents—Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford—rising to become the Assistant Director of Protective Operations, responsible for all protective forces. Hill’s defining moment came in Dallas, Texas, when he courageously leaped onto the back of the presidential limousine amid gunfire, shielding First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy with his body. Hill received the Treasury Department’s highest civilian award for bravery for his swift and selfless actions that day.

Over two decades of service, Hill’s professionalism and steadfast commitment to duty cemented his reputation. His time at the White House spanned the Cold War; the Cuban Missile Crisis; the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy; the civil rights movement, riots and burning of major U.S. cities; the Vietnam War; Watergate; and the resignations of Vice President Spiro T. Agnew and President Richard M. Nixon.

In a now iconic interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes shortly after his retirement in 1975, Hill revealed 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.

After suffering for decades, Hill met journalist Lisa McCubbin in 2009 and credits her with reviving his life. They fell in love while collaborating on Hill’s memoir Mrs. Kennedy and Me, which became a #1 New York Times bestseller, and they married in 2021.

The couple followed with three more New York Times best-selling books:  Five Days in November, Five Presidents, and My Travels with Mrs. Kennedy. Their works provide an intimate perspective, through the eyes of an everyman, on pivotal moments in American history.

“Clint Hill was more than a hero—he was a man of profound humility, dedication, and unwavering integrity,” said his longtime friend and former U.S. Secret Service Director Lew Merletti. “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.”

Hill is survived by his wife, Lisa McCubbin Hill, sons Chris Hill (wife Shirley) and Corey Hill, five grandchildren, and two step-grandsons. He will be remembered not only for his heroic actions but also for his kindness, humility, and quick sense of humor.

A private funeral service will be held in Washington, DC, on a date to be determined. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the United States Secret Service Association at https://secure.secretserviceassociation.org/forms/donate.