Sir Frederick Bruce

Frederick William Adolphus Bruce (1814–1867) was a younger son of the seventh Earl of Elgin. He first worked in Washington with Lord Ashburton’s mission in 1842. Colonial appointments in Hong Kong and Newfoundland preceded diplomatic service in Bolivia, Uruguay, and Egypt. In 1857 he accompanied his brother, the eighth Earl of Elgin, to China as principal secretary. ¹

Bruce became minister to China after the Treaty of Tianjin. His attempt to proceed to Beijing was blocked, and the mission remained in Shanghai until ratification followed the renewed fighting of 1860. He established the British mission in Beijing in 1861 and met Prince Gong. His Washington appointment came in 1865. ¹

In April 1865 he challenged an American proclamation authorizing military confinement of foreign blockade runners. Writing to Acting Secretary William Hunter on 20 April, Bruce accepted that the United States could expel dangerous foreigners after reasonable notice. He disputed its authority to impose imprisonment under a general order that could retrospectively penalize conduct. He warned of arbitrary treatment of neutral subjects and explicitly supported the earlier representations made by chargé Joseph Hume Burnley. ²

Bruce also served as umpire for a commission considering American claims against Colombia. He died in Boston on 19 September 1867, while still minister, and was buried at Dunfermline Abbey after his body was returned to Scotland. ¹