Hamilton, Clifford W.

Retired U.S. Secret Service Agent

Born on August 18, 1937, in Washington D.C. to Clifford and 
Blanche Hamilton, passed away on May 13, 2010, in 
Carmichael due to complications of pneumonia at the age of 
72. Beloved husband and father, he is survived by his wife 
Betty and daughter Brenna. Cliff came to Vallejo as a child and 
moved to San Francisco as a teen, where he graduated from 
Lincoln High School in 1956. He served in the U.S. Navy from 
1956 to 1961 as a Qualified Submariner aboard the U.S.S. 
Catfish 339 and a member of the Submarine Forces, Pacific 
Fleet, Amphibious Forces and Underwater Demolition Team. 
Cliff attended San Francisco State University to receive a 
Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and began his career in 
government with the Internal Revenue Service as an 
Investigator in 1966. In 1968, he transferred within the 
Treasury Department to the U.S. Secret Service's San Francisco 
Field Office as a Special Agent. In 1971, he was assigned to 
the White House detail for President Nixon, and in 1973 
returned to California's Sacramento Field Office where he 
retired in 1988. His protective assignments included 
Presidents Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, 
Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, along 
with Presidents Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, National 
Security Advisor Henry Kissinger, U.S. Ambassador David 
Kennedy, HRH Queen Elizabeth II and Pope John Paul II. As a 
Special Agent investigator, he worked to solve security, 
counterfeit and Treasury Department fraud cases and was 
involved with many notable crimes such as the Zodiac Killer 
and Lynette ''Squeaky'' Fromme's assassination attempt on 
President Ford. In 1988, Cliff went to work for USAA Insurance 
Company as a Fraud Investigator, through which he continued 
his commitment to public service as a member of the 
Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force, before retiring 
in September of 2009. He was an active sports enthusiast who 
enjoyed scuba diving, swimming and skiing, as well as an avid 
fan of the Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers. Widely 
regarded as warm, affable and caring, Cliff was well known 
for engaging friends and acquaintances with fascinating tales 
of his adventures.

A celebration of his life will be held Friday, May 21, 2010, at 
1:30 p.m. at Russ Monroe's Funeral Home, 7960 Winding Way, 
Fair Oaks, CA 95628. In lieu of flowers, donations may be 
made in his name to the American Lung Association. 
Cremation and private internment will be held at Fair Oaks 
Cemetery. 

Published in The Sacramento Bee on May 18, 2010