In a new series we call the “Astrology Hall of Fame,” we’ll be honoring and highlighting the outstanding achievements and lasting contributions of some of the most well-known and highly regarded people ever to take up the practice of astrology. Some fell into it on accident while others had peered up at the stars with wonder and awe since they were tiny tots.
Each legend we profile — from Evangeline Adams, Linda Goodman, Sydney Omarr and Carroll Righter, has made an indelible mark on astrology and the world in which we live. They have risked their reputations and, in some cases, even their freedom, to defend the validity of the sacred science and timeless art that they enjoyed so much. I think what they liked about it was how they were able to help people understand themselves and make sense of the events that were taking place in their lives. I can honestly say that astrology saved my life and helped me understand myself.
Today, on the 111th anniversary of his birth, we are proud to introduce our very first inductee into the Astrology Hall of Fame. He’s a man who was known simply as “The Gregarious Aquarius” for his friendly charm, for his loquaciousness and for his penchant for guessing other people’s sun signs; he’s none other than Carroll Righter. Carroll wrote the daily astrological forecast for the Los Angeles Times and dozens of other newspapers. One interesting thing about his column is that he listed “Moon Children” instead of “Cancer” in his daily horoscopes. I like that! I recently microfiched his astrological forecast for the day I was born and I was quite amused by what I read. =)
(1900-1988)
Ed Helin in Aspects, Summer, 1988:
“A graduate in law at the University of Pennsylvania, Carroll Righter was an attorney who originally set out to disprove astrology and ultimately became one of its most influential promotors. Righter was a student of Evangeline Adams, who guided him to relocate to the southwestern US so that he could enjoy better health and reduce the lung and respiratory problems that plagued him in the northeast.
“Righter had the first syndicated astrology column, and, with Sydney Omarr, who also wrote for the newspapers, their astrological columns were featured in over 500 daily newspapers nationwide. Righter and Omarr perhaps did the most this century to popularize astrology and pave the way for subsequent astrology columnists.
Righter settled in Hollywood and his clientele was like the Who’s Who in film and political circles. Carroll Righter was Ronald Reagan’s astrologer for 45 years. He was the initial astrologer to hire a press agent: his first was Robert Mitchum, who later carved his own niche on the silver screen.
“For 26 years, Righter ran a non-profit educational foundation and astrological school (the Carroll Righter Astrological Foundation), taught weekly classes in his home, and became known for exclusive monthly Sun sign parties featuring live animals or representatives of the sign being celebrated.
With Sydney Omarr, Manly Palmer Hall and Ivy Jacobson, Righter was honored by the AFA with a special award for astrological pioneering. The California State Legislature issued a proclamation signed by the governor and stating that Righter was the most influential astrologer of the 20th Century.”
Click here for 2nd Page of Righter Memorial with tributes
BIRTH AND DEATH DATA: AstroDatabank shows the following information, rated A, given by him to Angela Gallo. He was born on February 2, 1900, at 9:00 AM in Salem, NJ, 75W28; 39N34. He died of cancer on April 30, 1988 at 11:15 PM, in Santa Monica, CA, at the age of 88.
He was nicknamed The Gregarious Aquarius by the media, and it couldn’t describe his chart better. He had a conjunction of Sun, Mercury, and Mars in Aquarius in the eleventh house. (His Moon, Venus, and Ascendant were conjunct in Pisces.)
The Righter-Reagan Connection
Memorials to Other Columnists
Back to Memorials L-Z, Continued
To Memorials A-K
DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD? This memorial is interactive, and we welcome your memories and tributes, which we will add to the page. If there are any additional contributions we should mention or any inaccuracies in the memorial, please bring them to our attention. We would also love to have photos to bring back vivid memories. (Photos will be scanned and returned.) To suggest names, share memories, create tributes, or volunteer, send us an e-mail.
CREDITS: Biographical information for this memorial came from AstroDatabank and Aspects Magazine. The background comes from Crazy Girl. The golden Aquarius symbols are part of a set at RAD Graphics. This memorial was created by Donna Cunningham.