Born in 1927 in St. Louis, Missouri, to Nancy Dennis Martin and Jesse Hill, he attended public schools in St. Louis and graduated from Lincoln University in Jefferson City with a bachelor\'s degree in mathematics and physics in 1947. He received his MBA from the University of Michigan in 1949.\n', '

From the beginning, Hill\'s professional and civil rights activities were closely intertwined. His career in business began in 1949 when he moved to Atlanta, the center of African American entrepreneurship in the United States during the mid-twentieth century. He joined the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, one of the country\'s largest and most successful black-owned businesses, as assistant actuary; he was only the second African American actuary in the country. When he first moved to the city, Hill lived at the Butler Street YMCA in Atlanta, the headquarters of the city\'s black leadership during the period. He also volunteered for both the Urban League and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).\n', '

During his first two decades with Atlanta Life, Hill became vice president and the chief actuary of the company. In 1973 he was elected president and chief executive officer, becoming the company\'s third president and the first not to be a family member of Alonzo Herndon, Atlanta Life\'s founder. During Hill\'s tenure as chief executive, Atlanta Life experienced a significant period of growth. Total assets, revenues, profits, and shareholder value all surpassed previous levels.\n', '

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