Roy Herman Kellerman (March 14, 1915 – March 22, 1984) was a U.S. Secret Service senior agent who was assigned to protect

United States President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed For ...

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

when he was assassinated on November 22, 1963, in

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

. In his reports, later testimony and interviews, Kellerman outlines in detail his role in the immediate aftermath of the assassination.

History

Kellerman, a

New Baltimore, Michigan New Baltimore is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 12,117 at the 2020 census. New Baltimore is a northern suburb of Metro Detroit and is located along the northern shores of Lake St. Clair. History N ...

native, graduated from high school in 1933 and worked for the

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence, Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...

division of

Chrysler FCA US, LLC, Trade name, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the "Big Three (automobile manufacturers), Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn H ...

sporadically from 1935 until 1937 when he was sworn in as a trooper for the

Michigan State Police The Michigan State Police (MSP) is the State police (United States), state police agency for the U.S. state of Michigan. The MSP is a full-service law enforcement agency, with its sworn members having full police powers statewide. The department ...

. Kellerman joined the Secret Service in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

just before Christmas 1941, transferring temporarily to the White House detail in March 1942 and permanently one month later. In 1965, Kellerman was promoted to "deputy special agent in charge", replacing Floyd Boring. He retired from the Secret Service in 1968 as an assistant administrator. Kellerman died in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the List of municipalities in Florida, fifth-most populous city in Florida and the most populous city in the sta ...

, on March 22, 1984, eight days after his 69th birthday.

Assassination of John F. Kennedy

As the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of November 22, 1963, Shift Team No. 3, Kellerman was riding in the front passenger seat of the presidential limousine. The driver was Secret Service Agent

William Greer William Robert Greer (September 22, 1909 – February 23, 1985) was an Irish-born agent of the U.S. Secret Service, best known as being the driver of President John F. Kennedy's presidential limousine in the motorcade through Dealey Plaza ...

. Like all Secret Service agents assigned to protect the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

, Kellerman was trained to use his own body as a shield, taking a bullet if necessary in the line of duty. Kellerman along with Secret Service agents

, Clint Hill, and Rufus Youngblood, provided testimony to the

Warren Commission The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known unofficially as the Warren Commission, was established by President of the United States, President Lyndon B. Johnson through on November 29, 1963, to investigate the A ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, on March 9, 1964. Kellerman testified, "I turned around to find out what happened when two additional shots rang out and the President slumped into Mrs. Kennedy's lap and Governor Connally fell to Mrs. Connally's lap." He further testified to the Warren Commission that he first heard what sounded like a "pop" or a "firecracker" somewhere to his right and about five seconds later the assassination then ended in a "flurry of shells" coming into the limousine. He described the final shots as "like a plane going through a sound barrier; bang bang".Warren Commission testimony, starting in Warren Commission Volume 2, pages 62, 76 and 78 During his testimony he said: "If President Kennedy had from all reports four wounds, Governor Connally three, there have got to be more than three shots, gentlemen.". Kellerman stated that at the hospital he observed that a part of Kennedy's right rear skull was missing, with a hole measuring 5 inches in diameter. The House Select Committee on Assassinations declared in 1979 that "the Secret Service was deficient in the performance of its duties" at the time of the assassination, and that President Kennedy did not receive adequate protection in Dallas. Regarding the conduct of Secret Service Agent Roy Kellerman, the HSCA noted:

No actions were taken by the agent in the right front seat of the Presidential limousine oy Kellermanto cover the President with his body, although it would have been consistent with Secret Service procedure for him to have done so. The primary function of the agent was to remain at all times in close proximity to the President in the event of such emergencies.

According to an interview given in 1981 after John Hinckley, Jr.'s attempt to assassinate President Reagan in 1981, Kellerman did not believe there was a conspiracy to assassinate Kennedy. However, in 1994, '' Vanity Fair'' published an article by Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan in which they quoted Kellerman's widow, June, as stating he "accepted that there was a conspiracy." Additionally, one of Kellerman's daughters told researcher Harold Weisberg in the 1970s that "I hope the day will come when these men ellerman and Greerwill be able to say what they've told their families".

In popular culture

In the 2013 film '' Parkland'', actor

Tom Welling Thomas John Patrick Welling (born April 26, 1977) is an American actor, director, producer, podcaster, and model. He is best known for his role as Clark Kent in The WB (now The CW) superhero drama ''Smallville'' (2001–2011). He also co-starr ...

played the role of Kellerman.

References

* Philip H. Mellanson, with Peter F. Stevens, ''The Secret Service: The Hidden History of an Enigmatic Agency,'' (Carroll & Graf, 2002), p. 77. * Obit, ''The Washington Post'', March 30, 1984

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kellerman, Roy 1915 births 1984 deaths Law enforcement officials from Michigan Law enforcement officials from Washington, D.C. Witnesses to the assassination of John F. Kennedy United States Secret Service agents People from New Baltimore, Michigan