John Bruce (barrister)

John Bruce was a Scottish barrister and farmer, son of James Bruce of Old Meldrum, Aberdeenshire.^[1] He was a student at Aberdeen University in the 1880s, where he was reputed one of the leading liberals amongst his cohort, and a member of the debating society.^[3]

Bruce was elected as a Liberal Party candidate in the 1892 general election ballot for Greenock. On the first count he was found to have a majority of 44.^[4] However a petition under the terms of the Parliamentary Elections Act 1868 by Sir Thomas Sutherland was heard at the start of August 1892, and judgement was made by Lord Rutherfurd-Clark and Lord Adam that an error had been made; that Sutherland had won a majority of 55, and that he should therefore be seated as MP.^[5] The judgement was read to the House of Commons on 9 August 1892 and accepted by the speaker.^[6] Bruce was described as a Gladstonian-Liberal; Sutherland as a Liberal-Unionist.^[3]

Bruce was again adopted as the Liberal candidate in the next general election, held in 1895, but resigned his candidacy owing to ill health; he took no active part in politics thereafter, though an obituary noted that "his political views changed considerably".^[3]

Bruce was described in an obituary as being 'of Yonderton', and as 'a well-known Buchan agriculturalist'. Yonderton Farm is to the north-west of Hatton, Aberdeenshire, in the parish of Cruden, Buchan. The obituary comments that the estate of Yonderton was sold on the day before Bruce suddenly died.^[3]

Bruce died on 29 January 1921.^[1]