Oliver Sipple (1941-1989), also known as Billy Sipple, was a former member of the United States Marine Corps who saved the life of President Gerald Ford in 1975. Sipple as a Marine fought in the Vietnam War. He was honorably discharged in 1970.
Sipple was a bystander as President Ford went to speak at the St. Francis hotel, located in San Francisco on September 22. According to what he told friends, he just wanted to catch a glimpse of the President that day.
Just as he was listening to President Ford, the would be murderer, Sara Jane Moore, grabbed a gun and pointed it at the President. Sipple grabbed the gun and wrestled her, but not before she could take one shot. Sipple was regarded as a hero by many, including the President himself.
The President took three days to thank Sipple for his act. Because of the delayed reaction by the President, the newspaper San Francisco Chronicle ran a story speculating that Sipple was homosexual. This severely affected Sipple's family life, as his mother died in 1979 with doubts of her son's sexuality. His father never spoke to him again. Sipple declared that My sexual orientation has nothing at all to do with saving the President's life, just as the color of my eyes or my race has nothing to do with what happened in front of the St. Francis Hotel.
Sipple sued the newspaper, but his case was dismissed. He then became an alcoholic, and he fought obesity. He had been turned down by a Veteran's Administration hospital a few weeks before passing away. He was found dead on February 2, 1989, but it was speculated he had been dead for about two weeks before he was found. At the time of his death, Sipple weighted more than 300 pounds. Sipple's funeral was attended by about 90 persons, but President Ford and his wife did not attend, choosing to send a letter of sympathy to his family and friends instead.
