William and Elizebeth Friedman, recently married, at Riverbank in 1917Įlizebeth Smith began working at Riverbank Laboratories in Geneva, Illinois, in 1916. Career Riverbank Laboratories and World War I The position was short-lived, however, and in the spring of 1916, she quit and moved back in with her parents.

In the fall of 1915, Friedman became the substitute principal of a public high school in Wabash, Indiana. In 1938, Hillsdale awarded her an honorary doctor of laws degree. Having exhibited her interest in languages, she had also studied Latin, Greek, and German, and minored 'in a great many other things.' Only she and one other sibling attended college. : 8 In 1915, she graduated with a major in English literature. In 1913, Friedman transferred to Hillsdale College in Michigan, as it was closer to home. : 7įrom 1911 to 1913, Friedman attended Wooster College in Ohio, but left when her mother became ill. Friedman was the youngest of nine surviving children (a tenth died in infancy) and was raised on a farm. Early life and education įriedman was born in Huntington, Indiana, to John Marion Smith, a Quaker dairyman, banker, and politician, and Sophia Smith (née Strock). She has been called 'America's first female cryptanalyst'. Over the course of her career, she worked for the United States Treasury, Coast Guard, Navy and Army, and the International Monetary Fund. 'America's first female cryptanalyst' Įlizebeth Smith Friedman (Aug– October 31, 1980) was an American cryptanalyst and author who deciphered enemy codes in both World Wars and helped to solve international smuggling cases during Prohibition.

The woman who smashed codes