Van Buren, Abigail (1918-2013), was the pen name of Pauline Phillips, who wrote a newspaper advice column called Dear Abby. The column, which Pauline’s daughter Jeanne Phillips writes today under the same pen name, is published in over 1,200 newspapers in the United States and other countries. It largely consists of responses to reader questions about such subjects as family life, marriage, health, death, and social issues. The writers have often consulted with experts to help answer questions for the column.
Pauline Esther Friedman was born on July 4, 1918, in Sioux City, Iowa. In 1939, she married Morton Phillips, a wealthy investor. In 1956, she began her career as an advice columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle. Her books include The Best of Dear Abby (1981) and Dear Abby on Planning Your Wedding (1989). Jeanne became co-writer of the Dear Abby column in 1987, and she began writing the column on her own in 2002. Van Buren’s twin sister, Esther Pauline Lederer, wrote a popular advice column called Ann Landers (see Landers, Ann ). Van Buren died on Jan. 16, 2013.
