In 1899, Bell's son-in-law Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor was named the first full-time editor of National Geographic magazine and served the organization for fifty-five years (until 1954), and members of the Grosvenor family have played important roles in the organization since.
Pada 1899, menantu Bell, Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor menjadi editor full-time pertama majalah National Geographic dan mengabdi selama 55 tahun (hingga tahun 1954), dan setelahnya anggota-anggota keluarga Grosvenor telah menjalankan peran penting di Yayasan National Geographic.