Memorial honors life of Washburn native
A memorial monument honoring former Washburn resident and Secret Service Agent Clint Hill was unveiled in Washburn on Saturday, Aug. 1. At left are Lisa McCubbin Hill and Sen. John Hoeven.
Members of the Washburn American Legion Post present a flag during a memorial ceremony for Clint Hill on Saturday, Aug. 1, in Washburn. At right are Lisa McCubbin Hill and Sen. John Hoeven.
A memorial monument honoring former Washburn resident and Secret Service Agent Clint Hill was unveiled in Washburn on Saturday, Aug. 1. At left are Lisa McCubbin Hill and Sen. John Hoeven.
Members of the Washburn American Legion Post present a flag during a memorial ceremony for Clint Hill on Saturday, Aug. 1, in Washburn. At right are Lisa McCubbin Hill and Sen. John Hoeven.
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WASHBURN - The late U.S. Secret Service Agent Clint Hill was honored at a memorial dedication ceremony Saturday, Aug. 1, in Washburn. The Washburn community and the local American Legion post raised $150,000 to build a granite memorial, which commemorates the former Washburn resident's life and service to the nation, including the courage he displayed the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
Hill was assigned to follow the President and First Lady's car in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, and threw himself into harm's way while striving to protect them during the shooting. His quick actions have been credited with saving First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy's life.
Sen. John Hoeven, R-ND, delivered remarks honoring the North Dakota native.
"Clint Hill reflected the very best of our state. No matter where life took him, he always considered North Dakota his home, and we are proud to call him one of our own," he said. "We reflect on his service and contributions to our nation, from his time in the Army to his long career with the Secret Service. His bravery and selflessness were a point of light in the middle of a terrible national tragedy. We are grateful for the example he set and the values he demonstrated throughout his life. It is a tremendous opportunity to join with his wife, Lisa, their family and the entire Washburn community in honoring him, and we thank all those who helped make this memorial a reality."
According to his biography, Hill was born in 1932 in Larimore and was adopted as an infant by Chris and Jennie Hill, who raised him along with their previously adopted daughter in Washburn. He attended Washburn Public Schools and participated in football, baseball, basketball and band. Upon graduation from Washburn High School in 1950, he attended Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, but returned every summer, working at various jobs in the Washburn area. He worked in construction, building the Garrison Dam and as a surveyor’s helper for the McLean County Engineer’s Office. He worked on farms for his aunts and uncles and did various jobs for the Holtan Mercantile Company in Washburn.
After college, Hill intended to teach history and coach athletics, but he first served three years in the U.S. Army, where he was trained to be a Counter Intelligence agent. In 1958, at the age of 26, Hill was accepted into the U.S. Secret Service in the Denver field office.
Hill served with the agency for 17 years under five different presidents, from Dwight Eisenhower to Gerald Ford. Following his retirement, he published four books, co-authored by his wife, Lisa McCubbin Hill, outlining his experience as a Secret Service agent, all of which were New York Times bestsellers.
Hill was inducted into the Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame in 2012, and he was awarded North Dakota's highest civilian honor, the Theodore Roosevelt Roughrider Award, in 2018. He passed away in 2025 at the age of 93.