Jeane Dixon (born Lydia Emma Pinckert; January 5, 1904 – January 25, 1997) was a well-known American psychic and astrologer in the 20th century. She became famous because of her prediction about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. She also wrote a newspaper astrology column that appeared in many papers. She made several predictions that received a lot of media attention, and she wrote a biography that sold many copies.

Early life

Lydia Emma Pinckert was born to Richard Franz Pinckert and Luise Johanne Emma (née Graefe), both Roman Catholics. She was one of 10 siblings. Lydia was born in Medford, Wisconsin, but she grew up in Missouri and California. Her birth year was often reported as 1918, and she told reporters this date was correct. At one time, she showed a passport that stated 1918 as her birth year. However, in a legal statement, she said she was born in 1910. An investigation by a reporter from the National Observer, who spoke with family members and reviewed official documents, found evidence that Lydia was born in 1904.

During her childhood in California, Lydia claimed that a "Gypsy" gave her a crystal ball and read her palm. The Gypsy predicted that Lydia would become a famous seer and advise important people.

Family

She was married to James Dixon, a man who was previously divorced, from 1939 until his death. The couple did not have any children. James Dixon worked as a car dealer in California and later started a successful real estate business in Washington, D.C. She worked with her husband in the business for many years and was the president of the company.

She was the sister of Erny Pinckert, who played football.

Career

Jeane Dixon reportedly said she predicted the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. In the May 13, 1956, issue of Parade Magazine, she wrote that the 1960 presidential election would be "dominated by labor and won by a Democrat" who would later "be assassinated or die in office, though not necessarily in his first term." As the election approached in 1960, she changed her mind and incorrectly predicted that Richard Nixon would win. She later admitted she "saw Richard Nixon as the winner" and made clear predictions that he would win. She appeared in the film The Man Who Saw Tomorrow, discussing the predictions of Nostradamus and her own prediction about Kennedy's assassination.

Dixon wrote seven books, including her autobiography, a horoscope book for dogs, and an astrological cookbook. She became well-known through a biography titled A Gift of Prophecy: The Phenomenal Jeane Dixon, written by syndicated columnist Ruth Montgomery. Published in 1965, the book sold more than 3 million copies. She was a deeply religious Roman Catholic and believed her ability to make predictions came from God. Another book, My Life and Prophecies, was credited "as told to Rene Noorbergen," but Dixon was sued by Adele Fletcher, who claimed her rejected manuscript was rewritten and published as that book. A jury awarded Fletcher 5% of the royalties.

In 1967, Dixon was contacted by Webb and Etoila Hunter in Decatur, Alabama, who were searching for their missing daughter, Mary Faye Hunter. Dixon told the family that Mary Faye was safe; however, Mary Faye was found dead several months later. On June 5, 1968, Dixon was at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California, to give a speech. She stopped suddenly in the kitchen and said aloud, “This is the place where Robert Kennedy will be shot. I can see him being carried out with blood on his face.” Later that day, her prediction came true. In 1969, she was asked to help find Dennis Lloyd Martin, a six-year-old boy who had gone missing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. She was unable to locate him.

Richard Nixon followed Dixon’s writing through his secretary, Rose Mary Woods, and met with her in the Oval Office in 1971. The next year, her prediction about terrorist attacks in the United States after the Munich massacre led Nixon to create a cabinet committee on counterterrorism. She was one of several astrologers who gave advice to Nancy Reagan.

Dixon predicted that before the end of the 20th century, a pope would suffer bodily harm while another would be assassinated. These events were said to relate to the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II and claims of an assassination attempt on Pope John Paul I. She also said that dissatisfied cardinals would replace a serving pope, which may have referred to Pope John Paul I.

In her 1971 book, The Call to Glory, Dixon predicted an apocalyptic "war of Armageddon" would occur around the year 2020. In her 1969 book My Life and Prophecies, she apparently predicted a war between China and Russia would happen between 2025 and 2037, with China starting and winning the war.

The Jeane Dixon effect

John Allen Paulos, a mathematician at Temple University, noted a pattern in which Dixon and her supporters focused on her few correct predictions while ignoring the many incorrect ones. He called this pattern "the Jeane Dixon effect."

Many of Dixon's predictions were incorrect. For example, she claimed a conflict over the islands of Quemoy and Matsu would lead to World War III in 1958. She also predicted that American labor leader Walter Reuther would run for president in the 1964 election. She said the second child of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and his wife Margaret would be a girl, but they had a boy instead. She also predicted that the Soviet Union would be the first to send men to the Moon.

In his book The Mask of Nostradamus, James Randi explained that prophets often make many predictions, hoping some will come true. He then ignored the ones that did not. Randi listed several of Dixon's incorrect predictions, stating these were only a few from a "very long" list. These included predictions that U.S. President Richard Nixon would survive the Watergate scandal and return to power, that the Soviet Union would be the first to send a man to the Moon, that China would start World War III in 1958, and that the Vietnam War would end in 1966.

Death

Dixon had a cardiac arrest and passed away at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., on January 25, 1997. Before her death, she said, "I knew this would happen." Many of her belongings were given to Leo M. Bernstein, an investor and banker in Washington, D.C., who had clients that included Dixon. In 2002, he opened the Jeane Dixon Museum and Library in Strasburg, Virginia. Bernstein passed away in 2008. In July 2009, the museum's items, totaling 500 boxes, were planned to be sold at an auction.