Huntington Township in Huntington County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Elizabeth Smith Friedman
1892-1980
Photographed By Willard McKinzie, August 26, 2021
1. Elizabeth Smith Friedman marker
Pioneering cryptanalyst Elizabeth Smith Friedman was born in Huntington. She developed her skill in codebreaking while searching for supposed hidden messages in Shakespeare's plays at Riverbank Laboratories in Illinois in the 1910s. There, she and her husband William invented new techniques for modern cryptology and taught U.S. military officers how to break code in WWI.
During the 1920s-1930s. Friedman destroyed crime rings by breaking the codes of Prohibition rum runners and international drug smugglers. She led and trained the U.S. Coast Guard's cryptanalytic unit, vital to the U.S. Navy and FBI. In WWII, she decrypted Nazi radio messages sent to their spies in South America, helping capture the agents and weaken the Axis alliance.
Erected 2021 by Indiana Historical Bureau, City of Huntington, Indiana University, Justin Troutman, Jason Fagone, Tim Dierks, and family and friends of Elizabeth Friedman.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Law Enforcement • War, World I • War, World II. In addition, it is included in the Indiana Historical Bureau Markers series list.
Location. 40° 52.698′ N, 85°
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Elizebeth Smith Friedman (a few steps from this marker); Order of the Purple Heart (within shouting distance of this marker); WWII Sherman Tank (within shouting distance of this marker); John R. Kissinger (within shouting distance of this marker); Huntington Vietnam War Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Operation Iraqi Freedom Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star (within shouting distance of this marker); Huntington World War I Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Huntington.
Photographed By Willard McKinzie, August 26, 2021
2. Elizabeth Smith Friedman marker
Credits. This page was last revised on April 11, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 10, 2023, by Willard McKinzie of Huntington, Indiana. This page has been viewed 74 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 10, 2023, by Willard McKinzie of Huntington, Indiana. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
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