Joan Quigley, of San Francisco, is a famous astrologer best known for her top secret devotion to the Reagan White House in the 1980s. She was considered apolitical, and therefore trustworthy, when it became known how much power she wielded during those years, because of how little she was willing to use that power for personal or political gain.

She was called into service by First Lady Nancy Reagan in 1981 after John Hinckley's attempted assassination of the president, and stayed on as the White House astrologer in secret until being outed in 1988 by ousted formed chief of staff Donald Regan. Regan later said of her service, "I revealed that the president's schedule and therefore his life and the most important business of the American nation was largely under the control of the first lady's astrologer... In retrospect, I think the nation owes Ms. Quigley a vote of gratitude. She really seems to have been interested in nothing but astrology."

Early relationship

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Quigley first met Nancy Reagan in the 1970s. Their association grew significantly bigger and the 1980 election between candidate Ronald Reagan and then president, Jimmy Carter, brought Quigley onto the Reagan campaign team. Quigley became very trusted by Reagan's people for her accuracy and she set the time, with detailed reasoning, of Reagan's successful debate with Carter in October, which is credited by some with affecting the outcome of the election a week later.

Protecting the President's Life

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After the election, Quigley was no longer needed and her relationship with the First Lady ended. But, the following year, Hinckley shot Reagan. Nancy grew concerned and asked Quigley if she could have foreseen, and possibly prevented, the assassination attempt. Quigley answered affirmatively, that had she been looking, she would have known. From that moment on, Quigley became Nancy's most trusted confidant. Explaining why she turned to Quigley, Nancy later wrote, "Very few people can understand what it's like to have your husband shot at and almost die, and then have him exposed all the time to enormous crowds, tens of thousands of people, any one of whom might be a lunatic with a gun... I was doing everything I could think of to protect my husband and keep him alive."

Quigley concluded that Reagan's charts were very similar to assassinated President Abraham Lincoln's astrological signs, with both being born in February, and both being elected in a year that ends in Zero. Every detail about the timing of the White House schedule that could be manipulated was under the direct influence of the First Lady and her astrologer for the next seven years.

Quigley later wrote a book about her experiences, titled "What Does Joan Say?", which is a phrase Reagan used often during his presidency. Quigley writes, "Not since the days of the Roman emperors- and never in the history of the United States Presidency- has an astrologer played such a significant role in the nation's affairs of State." Whether this is true or not, no other White House ever used an astrologer to the extent the Reagan's did. Other First Families known to rely on astrologers include the Lincolns, and the Hardings. Likewise, President Richard Nixon relied on Jeane Dixon during certain situations.

Astrology was used widely be other political leaders, such as Senator Everett Dirksen, a Republican from Illinois. Dirksen's son-in-law is former Senator Howard Baker, a Republican from Tennessee. Baker replaced Donald Regan as chief of staff after Regan lost a feud with the First Lady, prompting him to out Quigley in his book, "For The Record."

Indeed, Quigley worked extremely hard (even using a computer analyst) to calculate to the exact fraction of a second, the president's schedule. This included the most mundane activities, such as the president's daily itinerary, including the arrival and departure time of Air Force One.

Political achievements

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Quigley fixed the times for the public signing of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty, or INF Treaty, and Reagan's debates with Walter Mondale. She set the time of the nomination of Anthony Kennedy to the Supreme Court, instructing the White House staff to use a stopwatch to make the moment perfect. Nobody has ever explained why she never got Robert Bork's nomination pushed through successfully.

Quigley's major achievements included transforming Nancy's image from one of derision to one of an esteemed conservative activist, diffusing the Bitburg crisis- where the president visited a German cemetery that contained Nazi graves in 1985, and most especially helping Reagan successfully complete negotiations with Mikhail Gorbachev, where Reagan- after years of trying- convinced the Soviet leader to bring freedom and free enterprise, called Glasnost and Perestroika, to the USSR. Reagan's change from hardened Cold Warrior who talked of an "Evil Empire", to supportive ally who helped Gorbachev to end Soviet militancy, thereby freeing Eastern Europe and causing the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, was partly coordinated by Quigley.

The End of the Reagan Years

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After being outed, she was dismissed as the White House astrologer by Nancy Reagan, who told Quigley to "lie" and never tell anyone anything. A major controversy ensued. Reagan's conservative Christian supporters were most appalled, but jokes and humor were the staple of the era. Nancy said, "Nobody was hurt by it- except, possibly, me."

Quigley has been quick to note that she considers astrology a science, related to astronomy, and that it is more precise now because of the discovery of modern planets. Quigley has not yet publicly stated how the 2005 announcement of the discovery of the 10th Planet, by astronomers Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, and David L. Rabinowitz, will improve astrological charts, but she has previously stated that knowing about all of the planets has made astrology more accurate and useful than ever before. Quigley believes that astrology is not related to psychic abilities, nor has she ever claimed to be psychic. She says astrology has a long history, that the New Testament magi were astrologers, and astrology was even used by Biblical prophets in the Old Testament.

Since leaving the Reagans, Quigley has written a successful book on the subject, and has been working hard to promote astrology in the media and on the Internet.

References

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• Ron & Nancy's Age of Aquarius
• Quigley, Joan. What Does Joan Say?: My Seven Years as White House Astrologer to Nancy and Ronald Reagan. Carol Publishing Group. New York, NY; 1990.

Astrologers | San Franciscans | United States presidential advisors