William Lowell Hill

William Lowell Hill (October 17, 1855 – August 2, 1922) was a United States Navy officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. He was awarded the medal as an enlisted sailor for rescuing a drowning shipmate in 1881. Hill went on to serve in the Spanish–American War and reached the warrant officer rank of chief boatswain. His lifelong Navy career finished with his command of two prison ships at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

Biography Hill was born on October 17, 1855, in Auburn, Iowa, the son of Henry Clay and Margaret (Cater) Hill.

During the Spanish–American War, he served on Brooklyn at the warrant officer rank of boatswain and received a commendation from Rear Admiral Winfield Scott Schley for his actions at the Battle of Santiago de Cuba. A year later, in 1899, he was commissioned as a chief boatswain. In 1901 he testified before a court of inquiry regarding Admiral Schley's conduct in the war.

During the First World War, Hill was promoted to the temporary rank of lieutenant on July 1, 1918. He was assigned to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. He retired from the Navy on October 17, 1919, having reached the mandatory retirement age of 64 and having almost 46 years of continuous service.

Death and burial Hill died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at age 66 on August 2, 1922, at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.