Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-12-21
rhe Lare Lenl. a Goacr.

Louis A. Cooley, the founder OF
G0dey's I.ady's Book, and for nearly
fifty years its publisher, died sud-
denly last evening at his residence,
No. 1877 Chestnut street, in the
seventy-fifth year of his age. Mr..
Cooley had been an invalid for sew
Il eral years. Last spring he had q
| severe sickness, which confined him
to his bed for several weeks. He
recovered from this attack, and en-
joyed comparatively good health up
to about three weeks ago, when he
was taken sick again. He was con-
sidered dangerously i'll for few
days, but rallied so as to he able to
be up part of every day. He was
sitting in his chair reading, when
Suddenly his paper fell from his
hand and he fell back dead at half
past S'elOck last evening. His
daughter Marion was with him at
the time, and one Of his sons had
been conversing with him only a
| few minutes before. His disease
was gout, complicated with other
complaints.
Louis A. Cooley was born In New
York June 4, 1904. In early life he
removed to Washington, but his
stay there was short, and he soon
after came to Philadelphia, where
he soon started a publishing house,
in which enterprise he associated
with himself the present venerable |
editor of the North American, Nor |
ton McAfichael. The new house |
brought out the first American edi- |
ton Of Capt. Maryatt's novels. |
Young Cooley got a practical knowl- |
edge of printing from Charles Alex
ander, the most celebrated printer 1
Philadelphia ever had. 1t was AL |
exander who printed that we'll
known production OF w. +. Burton,
thecomedian, the Gentleman's Mag
aZine, and in the editorial rooms of
that mOntnly Louis y. Cooley first
had his future laid Ont to him. On
July l, 1880, he joined hands with
Charles Alexander In the publica-
ton of the afterward famous little
magazine known as GOdey's Lady's
Book. Several years of this expert
ment sufficed Mr.. Alexander and ne
withdrew from the firm. Louis A.
Cooley then managed his magazine
alone until in 1887 he called to his
6lNAS 0ARSs ADdAdl OOSCpAAd I1dAGt WIN,
although now more than ninety
years old, has outliVed her co-editor.
Mrs. Hale 1t Is who gave her name
to the famous cookbook, and who
has written more than 4 score Of
volumes upon almost as many diff.
ferent subjects. Some years back
George w. Jones, who died three
years ago, was called to a co-part-
nership and to the management of
the Lady's Book. Mr.. Cooley con-
tinued at the head of his magazine
until December, 1877, when he sold
its rightand title to the Cooley Pub
fishing Company, the head of which
was ex-COrOner, and at one time
business manager Of Forney's Press,
j. q. l.. Brown, who is now dead.
Godey's Lady's Book was first
published on Chestnut street, lust
above Third, and Ina 1856 its Office
was moved nearer to Fourth. In
1864, when ii was at the height of .
its prosperity, 1t removed its head
quarters to the northeast corner of ,
Sixth and Chestnut streets. AT
this time its circulation was as high ,
as l40, 900 copies month. Tho La
dy's Book was what its name be-
tokened. As its founder wrote,
when he retired from its manage
ment in 1877. and as Col. Forney
quotes in one of his Progress biogra- ,
phies "Not an immoral thought or
prOfane word can be found in his ,
during the whole five
and seventy-one months Of
its publication" II won success
from the beginning, and this by a !
little pieee Of enterprise, though il | /
was considered gigantic enough in ,
those days. Mr. Cooley had sent
him regularly from Paris highly !
colored plates of the reigning fash
ions. These caught the women's
eyes and they made the magazine.
Louis A. Cooley survived many
eminent contemporaries of his.
Journalists, actors, artists and states
men sought his company. He
could speak intimately of such ce- .
lebrities as Washington Irving, I
Charles Dickens, the elder James
Gordon Bennett, William Make
peace Thackeray, w. E. Burton, \
Edwin Forrest, w. G.. Macready, G
Robert T. Conrad, Edgar A. Poe, Q
DIR. Robert NJ. Bird, John NJ. Clay. q
ton, Henry Clay. Daniel Webster
and President James Buchanan. {
His charities were widespread, but I
so thoroughly unostentatious was 4
his practice Of the virtue that even
the members of his own family I
were not permitted to follow the v
of his good deeds, and 4
now that he Is gone those most in 3
Innate with him cannot specify his /
many benevolent acts. He was O
ever a cOnVivial man, and was a n
prominent member Of the Aud C
Lang Syne Club, having as fellows p
such men as Richard Vaux, George
Fl. Boxer, Henry G.. Carey, w. +. y
Burton, Morton McMichael and T. r
II. Butler. OF late years he was Il
not in good health, but his mind &
was unimpaired. His wife, who Id
was Miss Duke, died some years @
ago, but he has three sons and o
laughter still living. He. leaves 81
behind him a good round fortune. v