Helen Gurley Brown Helen Gurley Brown Helen Gurley Brown (February 18, 1922 – August 13, 2012; born Helen Marie Gurley) was an American author, publisher, and businesswoman. She was the editor-in-chief of "Cosmopolitan" magazine for 32 years. Helen Marie Gurley was born February 18, 1922 in Green Forest, Arkansas, the daughter of Cleo Fred (née Sisco; 1893-1980) and Ira Marvin Gurley. At one time her father was appointed Commissioner of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. After his election to the Arkansas state legislature the family moved to Little Rock, Arkansas. He died in an elevator accident on June 18, 1932. In 1937,
Gurley Brewer Gurley Brewer Gurley Brewer (1866-1919) was an American attorney, newspaper publisher, and political activist. Brewer is best remembered as the editor of the "Indianapolis World," one of the first African American newspapers in the state of Indiana. Gurley Brewer was born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1866, the son of Hubbard Brewer, a barber, and his wife. The family moved to the town of Vincennes when Gurley was a small boy. Brewer was a graduate of Wilberforce University, a historically black college affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church, located in Wilberforce, Ohio. He graduated with honors in 1888. A talented