Thomas Charles Bruce was a British barrister and a Conservative

Conservative Party (UK)

The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...

 politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1874 to 1885.

Bruce was the youngest son of the Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin

Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin

Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin and 11th Earl of Kincardine was a Scottish nobleman and diplomat, known for the removal of marble sculptures from the Parthenon in Athens. Elgin was the second son of Charles Bruce, 5th Earl of Elgin and his wife Martha Whyte...

, and his wife Elizabeth Oswald, daughter of James Townsend Oswald

James Townsend Oswald

James Townsend Oswald was a Scottish politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1768 and 1779.Oswald was the son of James Oswald a politician of Kirkcaldy. The Oswald family became the dominant force in Kirkcaldy politics in the 18th century and Dysart, the second largest burgh was...

 MP of Dunnikeire, in Fife

Fife

Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...

. He was educated at Jesus College, Cambridge

Jesus College, Cambridge

Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...

 and graduated B.A. and 24th Wrangler in 1850. He became a Fellow of his College and was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple

Inner Temple

The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...

 in 1854. In 1860 he was appointed Captain-Commandant of the 32nd Middlesex Rifle Volunteers.

At the 1859 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1859

In the 1859 United Kingdom general election, the Whigs, led by Lord Palmerston, held their majority in the House of Commons over the Earl of Derby's Conservatives...

 Bruce stood unsuccessfully for Parliament

Parliament of the United Kingdom

The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...

 in Portsmouth

Portsmouth (UK Parliament constituency)

Portsmouth was a borough constituency based upon the borough of Portsmouth in Hampshire. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system.- History :...

. He stood again at the 1874 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1874

-Seats summary:-References:* F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987* British Electoral Facts 1832-1999, compiled and edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher *...

, and won the seat, holding it until his defeat at the 1885 general election

United Kingdom general election, 1885

-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...

.

Bruce married Sarah Caroline Thornhill, daughter of Sir Thomas Thornhill, 1st Baronet

Thomas Thornhill

Sir Thomas Thornhill, 1st Baronet was a British Conservative Party politician.He was appointed High Sheriff of Suffolk in 1860...

 of Riddlesworth Hall, Norfolk in 1863.

External links