William Cabell Bruce (March 12, 1860May 9, 1946) was an American politician and

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

-winning writer who represented the

State of Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to it ...

in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

from 1923 to 1929.

Background

Bruce was born in

Charlotte County, Virginia Charlotte County is a United States county located in the south central part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is the town of Charlotte Court House. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 11,529. Charlotte County is ...

to Charles and Sarah Alexander (Seddon) Bruce (a sister of

James Seddon James Alexander Seddon (July 13, 1815 – August 19, 1880) was an American lawyer and politician who served two terms as a Representative in the U.S. Congress, as a member of the Democratic Party. He was appointed Confederate States Secretar ...

), and received an academic education at Norwood High School and College in

Nelson County, Virginia Nelson County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,775. Its county seat is Lovingston. Nelson County is part of the Charlottesville, VA Metropolitan Statistic ...

. He later attended the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

where he bested

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

in both a highly contested formal debate and an essay competition. In 1882, he graduated from the

University of Maryland School of Law The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law (formerly University of Maryland School of Law) is the law school of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and is located in Baltimore City, Maryland, U.S. Its location places Maryland ...

Career

Bruce was admitted to the Maryland

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

the same year and commenced law practice in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. In addition to his career in law, Bruce was also writer, and received a

in 1918 for his book ''

Benjamin Franklin, Self-Revealed ''Benjamin Franklin, Self-Revealed'' is a biography of Benjamin Franklin written by William Cabell Bruce in 1917. A "biographical and critical study based mostly on Benjamin Franklin's own writings", the book won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography ...

''. Bruce began his political career in the

Maryland Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single- ...

, serving from 1894 to 1896, and was appointed as president of the Senate in 1896. He served as head of the city law department of Baltimore from 1903 to 1908; as a member of the Baltimore Charter Commission in 1910; and as general counsel to the

Maryland Public Service Commission The Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) is an independent administrative agency within the state government which regulates public utilities and certain taxi cab and other passenger services in Maryland. Similar to other state public utilities ...

from 1910 to 1922, at which time he resigned. Bruce was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for United States Senator in 1916, but achieved election six years later in the election of 1922. Bruce was defeated in the next election in 1928 by Republican

Phillips Lee Goldsborough Phillips Lee Goldsborough I (August 6, 1865October 22, 1946), was an American Republican Party (United States), Republican politician and member of the United States Senate representing Maryland, State of Maryland from 1929 to 1935. He was also ...

, and resumed the practice of law in Baltimore until 1937, when he retired.

Personal and death

Bruce married Louise Este Fisher on October 15, 1887. They had four sons, William Fisher Bruce, James Cabell Bruce, William Cabell Bruce, and

David K. E. Bruce David Kirkpatrick Este Bruce (February 12, 1898 – December 5, 1977) was an American diplomat, intelligence officer and politician. He served as ambassador to France, the Federal Republic of Germany, and the United Kingdom, the only American ...

. He died in

Ruxton, Maryland Ruxton and Riderwood are unincorporated communities in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. They are sometimes considered a part of Towson and are part of Towson's census area. The boundaries of Ruxton have been established largely by local ...

, on May 9, 1946. He is buried at St. Thomas' Episcopal Church Cemetery in

Garrison, Maryland Garrison is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County, Maryland, United States, adjacent to Owings Mills, Maryland, Owings Mills. It consists mainly of the McDonogh Road, McDonogh area and Valley Centre. The p ...

Select works

* ''Benjamin Franklin, Self-Revealed: A Biographical Sketch and Critical Study Based Mainly on His Own Writings''; New York, London: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1917. (Available online
Vol. IVol. II
) * ''Below the James: A Plantation Sketch''; New York: The Neale Publishing Company, 1918. (Availabl
online
) * ''John Randolph of Roanoke, 1773–1833; A Biography Based Largely on New Material'', in 2 volumes; New York, London: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1922. (Available online
Vol. IVol. II
) * ''Imaginary Conversations with Franklin'', G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1933. * ''Recollections: and, The Inn of Existence'', 1936. * (1891)

References

External links