William Robert Greer (September 22, 1909 – February 23, 1985) was an agent of the

U.S. Secret Service The United States Secret Service (USSS or Secret Service) is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security charged with conducting criminal investigations and protecting U.S. political leaders, their families, and ...

, best known as being the driver of President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

's presidential limousine in the motorcade through

Dealey Plaza Dealey Plaza is a city park in the West End Historic District of downtown Dallas, Texas. It is sometimes called the "birthplace of Dallas". It was also the location of the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963; 30 minutes after the shooting ...

in Dallas on November 22, 1963, when the president was assassinated.

History

Greer was born on a farm in

Stewartstown, County Tyrone Stewartstown is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, close to Lough Neagh and about from Cookstown, from Coalisland and from Dungannon. Established by Scottish Planters early in the 17th century, its population peaked before the ...

, Ireland, and emigrated to the United States in 1929. He worked for over a decade as a

chauffeur A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine. Originally, such drivers were often personal employees of the vehicle owner, but this has changed to speciali ...

and servant to several wealthy families, including the

Lodge family The Lodge family is a formerly prominent New England political family, and among the families who make up the " Boston Brahmins", also known as the "first families of Boston". History The Boston Brahmin Lodge family are closely related with the ...

in Boston and a family in Dobbs Ferry, New York. During World War II, Greer enlisted in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

and was assigned to the

presidential yacht Presidential yacht may refer to a vessel of a country's navy that would be specially used by the country's president. It is common for a vessel to be designated as the presidential yacht during a fleet review. Some countries (below) have vessels p ...

in May, 1944. After his discharge in 1945, he joined the

United States Secret Service The United States Secret Service (USSS or Secret Service) is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security charged with conducting criminal investigations and protecting U.S. political leaders, their families, and ...

on October 1 of that year. Greer's duties brought him into close contact with Kennedy, and he can be seen in several pictures with the Kennedy family. He chauffeured the president on many occasions, including in Dallas. As with all agents involved, there has much speculation about, and criticism of, his actions on that day. Greer testified before the

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

on March 9, 1964. Greer retired on disability from the Secret Service in 1966 due to a stomach

ulcer An ulcer is a discontinuity or break in a bodily membrane that impedes normal function of the affected organ. According to Robbins's pathology, "ulcer is the breach of the continuity of skin, epithelium or mucous membrane caused by sloughing o ...

that grew worse following the Kennedy assassination. In 1973 he relocated to

Waynesville, North Carolina Waynesville is a town and the county seat of Haywood County, North Carolina. It is the largest town in North Carolina west of Asheville. Waynesville is located about southwest of Asheville between the Great Smoky and Blue Ridge Mountains. As ...

, where he died of cancer.

Analysis and criticism

Secret Service procedures in place at the time did not allow Greer to take action without orders from senior agent

Roy Kellerman 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 John F. Kennedy when he was assassinated on November 22, 1963 in Dallas. In his reports, later tes ...

, who sat to Greer's right. Kellerman has stated that he shouted, "Let's get out of line, we've been hit," but that Greer apparently turned to look at Kennedy before accelerating the car. No agents were disciplined for their performance during the shooting, but privately,

Jackie Kennedy Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A pop ...

was bitterly critical of the agents' performance, Greer's in particular, comparing him to the Kennedy children's nanny. Greer later apologized to her.William Manchester, ''The Death of a President,'' Harper & Row, 1967, p. 290.

References

External links

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Stabilized Zapruder Film

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greer, William 1909 births 1985 deaths Deaths from cancer in North Carolina Irish emigrants to the United States People from County Tyrone People from Waynesville, North Carolina United States Secret Service agents Witnesses to the assassination of John F. Kennedy