The Enduring Legacy of Eppie Lederer: Advice, Rivalry, and Family Bonds

Early Life and Roots

In the midst of daily challenges, Eppie Lederer’s words shine like a lighthouse on cloudy shores. On July 4, 1918, in Sioux City, Iowa, Esther Pauline Friedman was born 17 minutes before her identical twin sister, Pauline. Abraham B. Friedman and Rebecca Rushall Friedman, their parents, were Russian Jews who had fled adversity to start again. Abraham went from selling chickens to owning movie theaters, inspiring his four children. Rebecca, the homemaker, raised a tight family during the Great Depression.

Eppie and Pauline were inseparable but intensely competitive as children. Local performances showcased their early singing, dancing, and violin skills. Central High School shined. They studied journalism and psychology at Morningside College from 1936 to 1939. There, they co-wrote “The Campus Rat” gossip column as “PE-EP.” Energy is captured in few sentences. Long ones weave their bond, a blend of harmony and competition that defined their existence.

Family Tree: Parents and Siblings

Abraham B. Friedman, the patriarch, embodied the immigrant dream. He arrived in America with little but grit, turning poultry sales into theater ownership by the 1930s. His business acumen lifted the family from modest beginnings to stability. Rebecca Rushall Friedman complemented him, managing the household with quiet strength. She raised Helen Brodkey, the eldest daughter who later settled in Omaha; Dorothy, the middle sister whose life stayed more private; and the twins, Eppie and Pauline.

Pauline Phillips, Eppie’s twin, mirrored her in looks but clashed in spirit. Born Pauline Esther Friedman on the same day in 1918, she adopted the pen name Abigail Van Buren for her “Dear Abby” column. Their sibling rivalry simmered from childhood orchestra seats—Eppie always vying for first violin—to professional showdowns. Helen and Dorothy rounded out the quartet, providing a steady backdrop to the twins’ dramatic flair.

Here’s a snapshot of the immediate family:

This table simplifies the roots, but the dynamics ran deeper, like roots intertwining under soil.

Marriage and Immediate Family

Eppie and Pauline married in a magnificent double wedding with approximately 750 guests on July 2, 1939, just before their 21st birthday. Hat seller Jules Lederer, from a large immigrant family, married Eppie. Jules co-founded Budget Rent-A-Car, providing for their lavish lifestyle. Margo Howard, born March 15, 1940, was their only child after 36 years of marriage.

Margo wrote Dear Prudence and Dear Margo advice columns like her mother. John Coleman, Jules Furth, Ken Howard, and Ronald Weintraub were her four husbands. These marriages produced three children: Abrada, Andrea, and Adam Coleman Howard, an actor and director. Eppie’s decades of letters to Margo showed a mother’s joy throughout America’s turmoil.

Eppie shocked readers with her 1975 divorce from Jules, inviting 30,000 messages of support. Despite his economic failures, she supported him financially. Jules died in 1999, leaving memories of their migration from New Orleans to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where Eppie chaired the Democratic Party and Anti-Defamation League from 1945 to 1949.

Extended Family Connections

Eppie’s role extended to aunt, particularly to Jeanne Phillips, Pauline’s daughter. Jeanne, born to Pauline and Morton Phillips (Pauline’s husband from the 1939 double wedding), took over “Dear Abby” after her mother. Morton, a businessman, and Pauline had two children: Jeanne and Edward, who died young. As aunt, Eppie navigated family tensions, her relationship with Jeanne colored by the twins’ feud.

The feud itself was legendary. It ignited in 1956 when Pauline launched “Dear Abby,” undercutting Eppie’s rates to newspapers. Public spats followed, with a shaky reconciliation in 1964. Yet acrimony lingered, like embers under ash. Eppie’s family web included these threads of loyalty and conflict, shaping her as both matriarch and mediator.

Career Highlights as Ann Landers

In 1954, the Lederers settled in Chicago. A year later, in 1955, Eppie won a contest to become the “Ann Landers” columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, succeeding Ruth Crowley. Her column exploded, syndicating to over 1,200 newspapers and reaching 90 million readers by its peak. She tackled taboos—homosexuality, AIDS—with evolving empathy.

Achievements piled up. In 1971, her reader campaigns influenced the National Cancer Act. President Jimmy Carter appointed her to a cancer advisory board in 1977 for six years. A 1978 World Almanac survey named her America’s most influential woman. Financially secure from syndication millions and Jules’s success, she lived in a 5,500-square-foot apartment at 209 East Lake Shore Drive, complete with a private limo plated “AL 1955.”

Her wit shone in appearances, like on “What’s My Line?” in 1956. Books followed, including “Ann Landers Speaks Out.” She owned her column’s copyright, a savvy move in an era of fleeting fame.

Timeline of Key Events

Life’s milestones marked her path:

These dates anchor her story, a chronology of triumph and trial.

FAQ

Who was Eppie Lederer’s twin sister?

Pauline Phillips, Eppie’s identical twin, built her own empire as the “Dear Abby” advice columnist. Their rivalry added spice to their parallel careers.

What caused the family feud?

The professional competition erupted in 1956 when Pauline undercut Eppie’s column rates. Childhood rivalries amplified it, though they reconciled publicly in 1964.

How many children did Eppie have?

Just one: Margo Howard, born in 1940, who carried on the advice-giving tradition.

What was Jules Lederer’s business?

He co-founded Budget Rent-A-Car, contributing to the family’s wealth before losses post-divorce.

Who succeeded in the family advice columns?

Margo Howard wrote as Dear Margo, and niece Jeanne Phillips took over Dear Abby, extending the legacy.