Oliver Sipple | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Oliver Wellington Sipple |
| Born | November 20, 1941 Detroit, Michigan |
| Died | February 2, 1989 (aged 47) San Francisco, California |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service |  United States Marine Corps |
| Rank |  PFC |
Oliver Wellington "Billy" Sipple (November 20, 1941 – February 2, 1989) was an American man known for intervening to prevent an assassination attempt against U.S. President Gerald Ford on September 22, 1975. A decorated U.S. Marine and disabled Vietnam War veteran, he grappled with Sara Jane Moore as she fired a pistol at Ford in San Francisco, causing her to miss. The subsequent public revelation that Sipple was gay turned the news story into a cause célèbre for LGBTQ rights activists, leading Sipple to sue, unsuccessfully, several publishers for invasion of privacy, and causing his estrangement from his parents.