Do the initials “J.D.” stand for “Jefferson Davis” Tippit?
No. This is a common myth begun by some of the earliest conspiracy writers intent on labeling Tippit as a “right-winger.” (In fact, J.D. voted for Kennedy, a Democrat, in the 1960 election.) The truth is Edgar Lee Tippit named his son after a character in a book which he had read once while on a hunting trip. The initials never stood for anything. In fact, it was rather common in the south and west, and has been for nearly 250 years, to name offspring using only initials. Once, J.D. had trouble completing a credit application because the company insisted that a name, not initials, be used on the form. They inserted “John” on J.D.’s behalf in order to fulfill their policy. At least one document in J.D.’s police file also uses this name. Neither document is evidence of his true name, which by all accounts was simply, J.D. Why was Tippit ordered to patrol Oak Cliff after the president’s assassination? Dallas police dispatcher Murray Jackson, realizing that numerous squads responding to th
