Ask Ann Landers

Ann Landers was a pen name created by Chicago Sun-Times advice columnist Ruth Crowley in 1943 and taken over by Esther Pauline "Eppie" Lederer (July 4, 1918 – June 22, 2002) in 1955. For 56 years, the Ask Ann Landers syndicated advice column was a regular feature in many newspapers across North America. Owing to this popularity, "Ann Landers", though fictional, became something of a national institution and cultural icon. Ruth Crowley: the original 'Ann Landers' (1943–1947 and 1952-1955) The creator of the "Ann Landers" pseudonym was Ruth Crowley, a Chicago nurse who had been writing a child-care column for the Chicago Sun newspaper since 1941. On March 29, 1943, Crowly began writing a second column in which she gave advice. She used the name "Ann Landers", taken from a family friend Bill Landers, so as not to confuse the two columns. Unlike her eventual successor Esther Lederer, Crowley kept her identity as Landers secret, even enjoining her children to help her keep it quiet. 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 which had begun to syndicate it to 26 other newspapers. Crowley continued to write the column until her death, at 48, on July 20, 1955. In all, she spent a total of nine years writing advice as "Ann Landers". She also was featured on the 1953-1955 DuMont Television Network series All About Baby. Interim writers (July–October 1955) In the three-month period after Crowley's death, various writers, including Connie Chancellor, took over the column. The Esther Lederer years (1955–2002)