Abigail Van Buren is a pseudonym or pen name used by the writers of the Dear Abby column, Pauline Phillips (born July 4, 1918) and her successor, her daughter Jeanne Phillips. A pseudonym (Greek pseudo + -onym: false name) is an artificial, fictitious name, also known as an alias, used by an individual as an alternative to a persons true name. ... A pen name or nom de plume is a pseudonym adopted by an author. ... Dear Abby is the most popular syndicated advice column which was founded in 1956 by Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips and is currently written by her daughter, Abigail Van Buren, also know as Jeanne Phillips. ... Pauline Phillips (born July 4, 1918 as Pauline Esther Friedman) founded Dear Abby in 1956. ... For the United States holiday, the Fourth of July, see Independence Day (United States). ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... Jeanne Phillips writes the Dear Abby column under the pen name Abigail Van Buren which was used by her mother, Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips. ...

When Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips founded the column in 1956, she took on the pen name of Abigail Van Buren; she and her daughter Jeanne have used the name ever since. According to Pauline, she combined the name of the biblical character Abigail, mentioned in the Book of Samuel, with the last name of former U.S. President Martin Van Buren. Pauline Phillips (born July 4, 1918 as Pauline Esther Friedman) founded Dear Abby in 1956. ... Abigail (אֲבִיגַיִל / אֲבִיגָיִל her Fathers joy or, fountain of joy ;leader of/is dance/, Standard Hebrew Avigáyil, Tiberian Hebrew ʾĂḇîḡáyil / ʾĂḇîḡāyil), once Abigal (Samuel 2 3:3), is a female character in the Bible. ... The Books of Samuel, also referred to as [The Book of] Samuel (Hebrew: שְׁמוּאֵל), are (two) books in the Hebrew Bible (Judaisms Tanakh and originally writtten in Hebrew) and the Old Testament of Christianity. ... For the pop band, see Presidents of the United States of America. ... Martin Van Buren (December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862), nicknamed Old Kinderhook, was the 8th President of the United States from 1837 to 1841. ...

Pauline was an identical twin: her sister, Esther Pauline Friedman Lederer, who was 17 minutes older than Pauline, wrote the Ann Landers column, which was also syndicated internationally. As children, they grew up in Sioux City, Iowa, the daughters of Russian Jewish immigrants, and went by the nicknames "Popo" and "Eppie", respectively. They were very close and even had a joint wedding ceremony in 1939 at the age of 21. Both of the Friedman twins went to school at Morningside College. Ann Landers, 1961 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ann Landers Esther Eppie Pauline Friedman Lederer, better known as Ann Landers (July 4, 1918 – June 22, 2002), was best known for writing the famous syndicated advice column Ann Landers. ... Sioux City (IPA: ) is a city located in northwest Iowa in the United States. ... Morningside College is a liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church in Sioux City, Iowa. ...

As competing columnists, however, the sisters did not have a happy relationship. The sisters publicly reconciled in 1964, although some suggest the acrimony lasted. Just a few years before Lederer's death, they were not on speaking terms; it is said that they reconciled before Lederer's death, although that can be questioned considering that Popo (Abby) was (and is) suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

When Pauline retired in 2002, her daughter Jeanne continued writing the column under the pseudonym of Abigail Van Buren.

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