Ann Landers was a pen name created by Chicago Sun-Times advice columnist Ruth Crowley in 1943 and taken over by Eppie Friedman in 1955.[1 ] For 56 years, the Ask Ann Landers syndicated advice column was a regular feature in many newspapers across North America. Due to this popularity, 'Ann Landers', though fictional, became something of a national institution and cultural icon.
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The creator of the 'Ann Landers' pseudonym was Ruth Crowley, a Chicago nurse who had been writing a child-care column for the Sun since 1941. She chose the pseudonym at random — borrowing the surname 'Landers' from a family friend — in order to prevent confusion between her two columns. Unlike Lederer, Rowley kept her identity as Landers secret, even enjoining her children to help her keep it quiet. [2] Crowley took a three-year break from writing the column from 1948 until 1951. After 1951 she continued the column for the Chicago Sun-Times and in syndication (since 1951 [2]) to 26 other newspapers until her death, aged 48, on July 20, 1955. Crowley spent a total of nine years writing advice as 'Ann Landers'.
In the period after Crowley’s death, various writers, including Connie Chancellor, took over the column. [2]
Lederer won a contest to become the new writer of the column, debuting on October 16, 1955.[3] The column opened with a letter from a "Non-Eligible Bachelor", who despaired of getting married. Her advice was "You're a big boy now... don't let spite ruin your life".[4] Lederer went on to advise thousands of other readers over the next several decades. Eventually, she became owner of the copyright. She chose not to have a different writer continue the column after her death, so the "Ann Landers" column ceased after publication of the few weeks' worth of material which she had written before her death.[5]
Lederer, as Landers, used a writing style that was direct, and often critical. She would often upbraid a letter-writer with the quip, "Watch it, bub!" Sometimes she expressed unpopular opinions. She repeatedly favored legalization of prostitution and was pro-choice, yet denounced atheist Madalyn O'Hair.[6] In 1973, she wrote in support of the legalization of homosexual acts, saying that she had been "pleading for compassion and understanding and equal rights for homosexuals" for 18 years. Nevertheless, she described homosexuality as "unnatural", a "sickness", and a "dysfunction".[7][8][9] At one point, however, she wrote "Those people are born that way."
In 1995, Eppie commented thus in The New Yorker about Pope John Paul II: "He has a sweet sense of humor. Of course, he's a Polack. They're very anti-women." Polish-Americans responded with outrage. She issued a formal apology, but refused to comment further. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel canceled her column after that incident. In that same article, she had noted that President John F. Kennedy's father, Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., was anti-Semitic (among other undesirable traits).[10]
A 1995 "Ann Landers" column said, "In recent years, there have been reports of people with twisted minds putting razor blades and poison in taffy apples and Halloween candy. It is no longer safe to let your child eat treats that come from strangers." The vague warning was criticized for causing needless fear, as there have been no documented cases of children receiving poisoned candy during door-to-door Halloween trick-or-treating.[11]
In her March 28, 1965, column, regarding ownership of wedding gifts, Lederer wrote that "the wedding gifts belong to the bride". She went on to state that the bride should "consult a lawyer about the checks. In some states this could be considered community property". The advice was mistaken because only gifts given after the marriage would be considered community property in some states (or else because wedding gifts -- if so designated -- can be considered back-dated gifts to the bride). The column has provided teaching material for law professors and law students.[12]
Esther "Eppie" Pauline Friedman Lederer, better known as Ann Landers (July 4, 1918 – June 22, 2002), was an American writer. She is best known for writing the famous advice column "Ann Landers." For almost 45 years, it was a part of many newspapers across North America. In it, people wrote for advice and she answered.
Lederer and her twin sister Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips, writer of the advice column "Dear Abby", were daughters of Russian Jewish emigrants.
   | Halloween Poisonings - snopes.com: Halloween Poisonings |
| | Ted Kennedy: The Dogged Achiever - Ted Kennedy: The Dogged Achiever - TIME |
| | Advice for the Lonely Hearts - Advice for the Lonely Hearts - TIME |
| | Ann Landers in favor of legalizing Prostitution - Sexwork Cyber Resource Center || Ann Landers in favor of legalizing Prostitution |
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