Jesse Hill Jr. was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1926. He moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1949 to pursue a master's degree in actuarial science from the University of Michigan, becoming the first African-American actuary in the Southeastern United States. Hill married Azira Hill, and together they had three children. His career at the Atlanta Life Insurance Company began in 1949 as an actuarial assistant; he later became the president and CEO in 1973, a position he held until his retirement in 1995.

Hill was deeply involved in the civil rights movement, working closely with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and playing a crucial role in the desegregation of Atlanta's public schools and the University of Georgia. He held significant leadership roles, including serving as the first African-American president of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Hill also served on the boards of major corporations and nonprofits, such as Delta Air Lines and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Jesse Hill Jr. passed away on December 17, 2012.