Esther "Eppie" Pauline Friedman Lederer, better known as Ann Landers, was best known for writing the famous syndicated advice column "Ann Landers." For some 45 years, it was a regular feature in many newspapers across North America. In it, people wrote the columnist for advice and she answered. Lederer's writing style was direct, but often witty and sometimes acerbic. She would regularly upbraid an errant letter-writer with the quip, "Watch it, bub!"

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. Lederer won a contest to take over the column, debuting on October 16, 1955, and wound up as owner of the copyright. She chose not to have a different writer continue the column after her death; it ultimately ceased publication when the few weeks' worth of material she had sent out before her death finally ran out.

Landers was an identical twin: her sister, Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips, who was 17 minutes younger than Esther, wrote the Dear Abby column as Abigail Van Buren. As children, they grew up in Sioux City, Iowa, the daughters of Russian Jewish emigrants, and went by the nicknames "Eppie" and "Popo", respectively. Both sisters are alumnae of Morningside College and both wrote for the college newpaper. They were very close and even had a joint wedding ceremony in 1939 at the age of 21.

Eppie was married to Jules Lederer, a business executive. Lederer's home for many years was Chicago, where she owned a huge, well-furnished apartment. Lederer 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 Lederer.

From Wikipedia