James Dunn, 81; First Non-Family Member to Run Forbes Magazine

James J. Dunn, 81, who became the first person outside the Forbes family to hold the position of publisher at Forbes magazine, died Monday at his home in North Palm Beach, Fla. The cause of death was not announced.

The former Greenwich, Conn., resident was the magazine’s third publisher. He was vice president of Forbes Inc. from 1966 to 1988 and the magazine’s vice chairman from 1989 to 1992.

Before coming to Forbes, Dunn was advertising sales director for Life magazine and an advertising salesman for Redbook magazine.

During the 1970s and early 1980s, Dunn helped advertising revenue at Forbes rise to $115 million a year, from about $10 million during the late 1960s. Circulation also grew to 735,000 by the time Dunn stepped down as publisher in 1988.

Dunn was born in New York and graduated from Manhattan College. He was a lieutenant commander in the Navy during World War II.