Born Jeane Lydia Pinckert in Medford, Wisconsin, but raised in California, Dixon was very reluctant to release personal details. She was married to James Dixon from 1939 until his death, but they apparently had no childen.

She is best known for allegedly predicting 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 then go on to be assassinated or die in office though not necessarily in his first term." She later admitted, “During the 1960 election, I saw Richard Nixon as the winner.”

Dixon gained public awareness through the biographical volume, 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. A devout Roman Catholic, she attributed her prophetic ability to God.

President Richard Nixon referred to Dixon as "the soothsayer" and ordered preparations for a terrorist attack she had predicted . She was also one of several astrologers who gave advice to Nancy Reagan during the presidency of Ronald Reagan.