ABSTRACT
By the time Eppie Lederer took over the “Ann Landers” feature on October 16, 1955, readers had been visiting with the columnist for over a decade. Since Crowley had a high profile public life as Ruth Crowley, R.N., and not Ann Landers, readers in the Chicago area would have been aware that Crowley had passed away, but for most readers there was no sign that Landers was also dead. In fact, Landers was not dead. She was very much alive, written for the first few weeks after Crowley’s passing by various stand-ins, including journalist Connie Chancellor (who had been married to the NBC News anchor John Chancellor) (Kogan, 2003). The real popularity of the “Landers” feature, however, was not fully realized until Eppie Lederer assumed the Landers name in 1955.
