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 in 1955.[1] For 56 years, the Ask Ann Landerssyndicated advice column was a regular feature in many newspapers across North America. Due to this popularity, "Ann Landers," though fictional, became something of a national institution and cultural icon.