Hillard was born in Morgan County, Tennessee on October 23, 1896.

His family moved to the Deep Creek borough of Norfolk County, Virginia (now the city of Chesapeake) in 1907.

[1] Hillard served in the U.S. Army in World War I, after which he attended the College of William and Mary and the T.C.

In 1931, he was elected to the Virginia Senate representing the 3rd District which he held until he resigned in 1954 upon being appointed Circuit Court Clerk for Norfolk County.

[2] He retired from the bench in 1971, but continued serving the community in a variety of ways, such as at Deep Creek Baptist Church and the Deep Creek Ruritan Club.