ABIGAIL VAN BUREN
Name: Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips
Born: 4 July 1918
Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips (born July 4, 1918) started writing the Dear
Abby syndicated personal advice column in 1956 under the pen name, Abigail Van
Buren. Since her retirement in 2002 after an onset of Alzheimer's disease, her
daughter, Jeanne Phillips, has been writing the column under the same pen name.
According to Pauline, she had come up with the pen name, Abigail Van Buren, by
combining the name of the biblical character, Abigail, in the Book of Samuel
with the last name of former U.S. President Martin Van Buren.
According to its publishers, the column is known for its "uncommon common sense
and youthful perspective", and is read by more people than any other newspaper
column worldwide.
Pauline was an identical twin: Her sister, Esther Pauline Friedman Lederer, was
17 minutes older than Pauline, and also wrote the internationally syndicated "Ann
Landers" personal advice column.
The daughters of Russian Jewish immigrants, the twins grew up in Sioux City,
Iowa, and went by the nicknames "Popo" and "Eppie", respectively. They attended
Central High School(aka "The Castle on the Hill") in Sioux City, Iowa, and then
went on to study at Morningside College. They were very close and had a joint
wedding ceremony in 1939 at the age of 21.
As competing columnists, however, the two sisters did not have a happy
relationship. They publicly reconciled during 1964, although some suggest that
the acrimony endured. Just a few years before Eppie's death in 2002, they were
not on speaking terms. It is said that they reconciled before Eppie's death,
though the reconciliation is somewhat questionable, considering that Pauline had
started suffering from Alzheimer's disease that same year.
Name: Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips
Born: 4 July 1918
Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips (born July 4, 1918) started writing the Dear
Abby syndicated personal advice column in 1956 under the pen name, Abigail Van
Buren. Since her retirement in 2002 after an onset of Alzheimer's disease, her
daughter, Jeanne Phillips, has been writing the column under the same pen name.
According to Pauline, she had come up with the pen name, Abigail Van Buren, by
combining the name of the biblical character, Abigail, in the Book of Samuel
with the last name of former U.S. President Martin Van Buren.
According to its publishers, the column is known for its "uncommon common sense
and youthful perspective", and is read by more people than any other newspaper
column worldwide.
Pauline was an identical twin: Her sister, Esther Pauline Friedman Lederer, was
17 minutes older than Pauline, and also wrote the internationally syndicated "Ann
Landers" personal advice column.
The daughters of Russian Jewish immigrants, the twins grew up in Sioux City,
Iowa, and went by the nicknames "Popo" and "Eppie", respectively. They attended
Central High School(aka "The Castle on the Hill") in Sioux City, Iowa, and then
went on to study at Morningside College. They were very close and had a joint
wedding ceremony in 1939 at the age of 21.
As competing columnists, however, the two sisters did not have a happy
relationship. They publicly reconciled during 1964, although some suggest that
the acrimony endured. Just a few years before Eppie's death in 2002, they were
not on speaking terms. It is said that they reconciled before Eppie's death,
though the reconciliation is somewhat questionable, considering that Pauline had
started suffering from Alzheimer's disease that same year.