James “Jimmy” Hill Jr., a longtime North Carolina tobacco grower and respected industry leader, died July 31 at the age of 89. Hill began his career as an agronomist with British American Tobacco and later Philip Morris International, working in Argentina, Colombia, and Venezuela before returning to North Carolina to lead Tull Hill Farms for nearly five decades. Throughout his career, he held leadership roles with the U.S. Tobacco Cooperative, the Flue-Cured Tobacco Stabilization Corporation, and the North Carolina Growers Association, and was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the Presidential Tobacco Commission, where he contributed to the 2004 Tobacco Buyout.
Hill was widely recognized for his contributions to U.S. agriculture and tobacco, receiving North Carolina State University’s Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2006 and being named Lenoir County Citizen of the Year in 2009. In a tribute, Tobacco Associates Executive Director Kimberly Foley praised Hill’s unwavering support for U.S. tobacco farmers and his commitment to strengthening the industry’s global competitiveness, describing him as a mentor whose leadership and knowledge influenced generations. Funeral services are scheduled for Aug. 8 in Lenoir County, North Carolina.
