The Friedman Legacy: A Tribute to William and Elizebeth Friedman

Elizebeth Smith Friedman 1892–1980

Editor's Note: Reprinted from the Special Issue of Cryptologic Spectrum, December 1980.

Elizebeth Smith Friedman, the widow of William F. Friedman and herself a pioneer in U.S. cryptology, died on 31 October 1980 in Plainfield, New Jersey, at the age of 88. Coauthor (with her husband) of The Shakespearean Ciphers Examined and author of many technical papers, she was employed at various times by the U.S. Treasury Department, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, the Canadian government, and the International Monetary Fund. Mrs. Friedman served the U.S. as a cryptologist in both World Wars, and in the period between she won distinction for her work on international drug and liquor smuggling cases.

The youngest of nine children ...