Helen Gurley Brown editor of "Cosmopolitan" and replaced by Bonnie Fuller. When she left, "Cosmopolitan" ranked sixth at the newsstand and, for the 16th straight year, ranked first in bookstores on college campuses. However, she stayed on at Hearst publishing and remained the international editor for all 59 international editions of "Cosmo" until her death on August 13, 2012. In September 2008, Brown was named the 13th-most-powerful American over the age of 80 by "Slate" magazine. In 1965, Gurley took over as editor-in-chief of "Cosmopolitan" magazine and was in that position until 1997. Brown revamped the magazine by taking it from a women's
William Gurley his interest and the business was renamed W.& L.E. Gurley. The firm still exists today as Gurley Precision Instruments. William Gurley was involved in several local organizations. For many years he was connected with the YMCA, and in 1851 was elected its president. He served as alderman from 1860 to 1864, and as fire commissioner he helped to improve fire prevention systems in major cities. He was a member of the New York State Assembly (Rensselaer Co., 1st D.) in 1867. In 1868, he was appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury to serve on a commission with Prof. Joseph