Jim Leavelle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jim Leavelle
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| Born |
James Robert Leavelle
August 23, 1920 Red River County, Texas, U.S.
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| Died | August 29, 2019 (aged 99) Denver, Colorado, U.S.
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| Occupation | Detective |
| Spouse(s) | Taimi (died 2014) |
| Children | Karla Tanya |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ |
 United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1939–1942 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Signature | |
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James Robert Leavelle (August 23, 1920 – August 29, 2019) was a detective for the Dallas Police Department. He became famous on November 24, 1963. On that day, he was escorting Lee Harvey Oswald, the person accused of shooting President John F. Kennedy. While they were in the basement of the Dallas Police headquarters, a man named Jack Ruby suddenly shot Oswald. Leavelle was right next to Oswald when this happened. He appeared in many famous photos of the event, including one that won a special award called a Pulitzer Prize.
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Early Life and Military Service
Jim Leavelle grew up in Red River County, Texas. In 1937, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps, a program that helped young men find work during tough economic times. After finishing high school, Leavelle joined the United States Navy in 1939. This was during World War II.
He served as a sailor on a ship called the USS Whitney. He was on this ship when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. In April 1942, his ship left Pearl Harbor and went to the South Pacific to help with military operations there.
Later, Leavelle was seriously hurt by a large wave. He was taken to a hospital near Oakland, California. There, he met Taimi Snelma, who would later become his wife. Around the same time, he left the Navy because of his injury. He then took a civilian job with the Army Air Force in Southern California.
Police Career in Dallas
After World War II ended, Jim Leavelle worked as an auditor, checking financial records, for the Veterans Administration until 1950. In April 1950, he started a new career as a homicide detective with the Dallas Police Department. He worked there for 25 years, retiring in April 1975.
The Kennedy Assassination Event
On November 24, 1963, two days after President John F. Kennedy was shot, Lee Harvey Oswald was being moved. Oswald was handcuffed between Detective Leavelle and another detective, L. C. Graves. They were walking through the basement of the Dallas Police Headquarters. Oswald was being taken from the city jail to the county jail.
Suddenly, a man named Jack Ruby stepped out of the crowd. He shot Oswald at very close range. Oswald was badly hurt.
Leavelle later gave his testimony to the Warren Commission. This group investigated the assassination. He told them that he had only spoken with Oswald once, on that Sunday morning, November 24, 1963. He said he had never talked to Oswald before that day.
The tan suit that Leavelle wore on November 24, 1963, is now on display. You can see it at the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza in Dallas. Leavelle believed that Oswald acted alone in the assassination. He also disagreed with many conspiracy theories about the event.
Portrayals in Media
Jim Leavelle's role in the famous event led to him being shown in movies and TV shows.
- In 1978, he appeared as himself in a TV movie called Ruby and Oswald.
- The character Leavelle in The Simpsons episode "Mayored to the Mob" is based on him. This character trains bodyguards. He was voiced by actor Mark Hamill.
- A character called "The Guy in the White Hat" Griffin in the Family Guy episode "Peter-assment" is also based on Jim Leavelle.
Later Life and Passing
In December 1992, Leavelle was showing how another detective grabbed Ruby's gun. He accidentally shot a researcher in the arm with the same type of gun Ruby used. The researcher recovered at Parkland Memorial Hospital, the same hospital where President Kennedy, Oswald, and Ruby were taken.
In a 2006 interview, Leavelle shared a story. He said he joked with Oswald before the transfer. He told Oswald, "Lee, if anybody shoots at you, I hope they're as good a shot as you are." He meant he hoped the shooter would hit Oswald and not him. Oswald smiled and said, "You're being melodramatic. Nobody's going to shoot at me." Leavelle even recreated this moment in the 1978 TV movie, Ruby and Oswald.
In November 2011, Leavelle had a serious fall and lost an eye. After that, he wore a glass eye. In 2013, the Dallas Police Department named their Detective of the Year Award in his honor.
After his wife Taimi passed away in 2014, Leavelle lived in Garland, Texas. Jim Leavelle died on August 29, 2019, at the age of 99. He passed away from a heart attack after having hip surgery.
