Ask Ann Landers

Ann Landers, 1961

Esther "Eppie" Pauline Friedman Lederer (July 4, 1918 – June 22, 2002) and Ruth Crowley were the main writers behind the public image of Ann Landers because of their popular syndicated advice column, "Ann Landers." For about 45 years, the column was a regular feature in many newspapers across North America. People would write her letters to seek her advice concerning their personal problems, and she would publish her advice in her columns. Her writing style was direct, and often critical. She would often upbraid a letter-writer with the quip, "Watch it, bub!" Her stated opinions often seemed customized to appeal to her predominantly female readership.

The "Ann Landers" column

The original "Ann Landers" was Ruth Crowley, a Chicago nurse who wrote the syndicated column for 26 newspapers from 1942 until her death (at age 48) on July 20, 1955. Eppie won a contest to become the new writer of the column, debuting on October 16, 1955. 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." . 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.

Eppie sometimes expressed unpopular opinions in her column, e.g. she repeatedly favored legalization of prostitution and was pro-choice, yet denounced Madalyn O'Hair.

After Eppie's death, the longtime editors of the "Ann Landers" column, Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, started writing the "Annie's Mailbox" column.

Biography

Eppie had an identical twin sister, Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips ("Popo"), who was 17 minutes younger than Eppie. The twins were daughters of Russian Jewish emigrants, and grew up in Sioux City, Iowa. Both sisters were alumnae of Morningside College, and both wrote for the college's newspaper. They were then fond of each other, and at their age 21 in 1939, they had a joint wedding ceremony.

Eppie was married to Julius Lederer, a business executive. For many years, the Lederers' home was in Chicago, where they owned a large, well-furnished apartment. Eppie often said that she exercised regularly by walking the length of her apartment several times a day.

In March 1940, she gave birth to her first and only child, Margo. In 1944, Eppie's mother, Rebecca Friedman, died of cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 56. Julius had been conscripted for the war then, and Eppie and Margo had been living with Eppie's parents.

Julius and Eppie divorced in 1975. In her column of July 1, 1975, Eppie wrote, "The sad, incredible fact is, that after 36 years of marriage, Julius and I are being divorced." She received 30,000 sympathetic letters in response.

While Eppie wrote the "Ann Landers" column, her twin sister wrote a similar personal advice column, "Dear Abby", under the name, Abigail Van Buren.

As competing columnists, the two sisters had a discordant relationship. They publicly reconciled in 1964, but acrimony between them persisted. Just a few years before Eppie's death, they were not on speaking terms. They were said to have reconciled before Eppie's death, but the reconciliation seems questionable in view of the fact that "Abby" was and is suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

Eppie's daughter, Margo, was formerly married to actor Ken Howard. After their divorce, professionally she retained her last name, Howard. She has three children. In the 1990s, she wrote a personal advice column, "Dear Prudence". Currently, she writes the advice column, "Dear Margo".

A collection of correspondence between Eppie and Margo was published after Eppie's death.

Eppie was in good health almost all her life. She died of multiple myeloma in 2002 at the age of 83. (Her ex-husband, Julius, died on January 21, 1999.)

After Eppie's death, Dan Savage, author of the salacious sex column, Savage Love, and editor of The Stranger, bought her desk.

In 2002, the Chicago City Council passed a two-page resolution to honor Eppie for epitomizing Chicago "with her strong opinion, her sage advice, her impeccable manners, and quick wit", and announced that a street sign, "Ann 'Eppie' Landers Way", would be installed at the corner of North Michigan Avenue and East Illinois Street, in front of the Chicago Tribune Tower, the headquarters of her home paper since 1987.

Controversies

Pope John Paul II insult

In 1995, Eppie commented thus in "New Yorker" about Pope John Paul II: "He has a sweet sense of humor. Of course, he's a Pollack. They're very anti-women." Polish-Americans responded with outrage. She issued a formal apology, but refused to comment further. "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel" canceled her column after that incident. In that same article, she had complained that President John F. Kennedy's father, Joe Kennedy Sr., was anti-Semitic.

Recycled columns

During 1982, Barbara Sandken, a part-time reporter for the "Pontiac (Illinois) Daily Leader", had been assigned the job of compiling "25 years ago in the Leader" columns, and recognized an "Ann Landers" letter in an old paper to be a rewrite of one she had read more recently. The Associated Press (AP) published Sandken's story nationwide on May 3, 1982. Eppie then apologized in her column and pledged to stop the practice.

Causing needless fear

A 1995 "Ann Landers" column said thus: "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.

Mistaken legal advice

In her March 28, 1965 column, Eppie wrote that "the wedding gifts belong to the bride." She went on to state that the bride should "consult a lawyer about the cheques. In some states this could be considered community property." The advice was mistaken. The column has provided teaching material for law professors and law students. Ref.: Reppy & DeFuniak, Community Property in the United States, pages 137-138(Bobbs-Merrill 1975).

See also

• Pauline Phillips
• Poisoned candy scare
• Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation

Further reading

• Aronson, Virginia. Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren. Women of achievement. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2000. ISBN 0791052974. (children's book).
• Howard, Margo. Eppie: The Story of Ann Landers. New York: Putnam, 1982. ISBN 0399126880.
• Landers, Ann, and Margo Howard. A Life in Letters: Ann Landers' Letters to Her Only Child. New York, NY: Warner Books, 2003. ISBN 0446532711.
• Pottker, Janice, and Bob Speziale. Dear Ann, Dear Abby: The Unauthorized Biography of Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1987. ISBN 0396089062.