Secret Service Agent Who Jumped On JFK’s Car After The President Was Shot Has Died
on Feb 25, 2025
Clint Hill, the secret service agent who tried to protect the president, has died. He was 93.
While few people know his name, Clint Hill’s actions in the moments following the shooting of President John F. Kennedy are unforgettable six decades later.
On November 22, 1963, Clint Hill was assigned to the detail protecting First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and was riding on a secret service car that was escorting the presidential motorcade through Dealy Plaza in downtown Dallas. The moment shots were fired at the president, Hill ran to the limousine that was carrying JFK and the first lady.
When Hill arrived, he saw that the president had been shot and Mrs. Kennedy had climbed onto the car’s trunk. Hill pushed the first lady back into her seat and shielded her and the critically wounded president.
Footage of Hill’s heroic act was captured on video and he was praised for his quick actions to protect Mrs. Kennedy.
Clint Hill gave an emotional interview following his retirement.
Hill blamed himself for not protecting the president and lived with guilt for most, if not all, of his life. He was forced to retire at 43 due to post-traumatic stress disorder from the assassination.
Shortly after he retired, Hill granted an interview with 60 Minutes‘ Mike Wallace. The interview was the first time Hill had spoken publicly about the events of November 22, and he broke down numerous times recalling the day.
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“If I had reacted just a little bit quicker. And I could have, I guess,” an emotional Hill told Mike Wallace. “And I’ll live with that to my grave.”
In an interview with CNN years later, Hill solely blamed himself.
“I was the only one who had a chance to do anything,” he said. “The way everything developed, the way all the other agents were positioned, I was the only one who had a chance to get to the car and do anything. And I couldn’t get there fast enough.”
In 2024, in what would be his last interview, Hill seemed more at peace but was still dealing with guilt.
“My dad drilled into me that when you’re given an assignment to do, you do it ’till it’s fully finished,” Hill told CBS correspondent Seth Doane. “I had an assignment to keep the president and Mrs. Kennedy alive. I only kept one of them alive. One died on my watch.”
Clint Hill is being remembered with heartfelt tributes.
“Clint Hill was more than a hero — he was a man of profound humility, dedication, and unwavering integrity,” former USSS Director Lew Merletti said in a statement.
Hill’s family remembered his as a “revered icon” who is leaving behind an incredible legacy.
“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,” the statement read.
Watch one of Clint Hill’s final interviews below.
