A staunch loyalist, Bruere was despised, and eventually deposed, for his punitive action against the Bermudian merchant class, who broadly supported the Thirteen Colonies in the American Revolution.
When his father died in 1780, Bruere Jr. surmised that it was from the stress of running the tumultuous colony of Bermuda, which had been facing plagues, famines, and interior strife throughout the American Revolution.
As Governor, Bruere Jr. increased the British naval presence on the archipelago by building new outposts and demoted rebellious colonial officers and politicians, replacing them with avowed loyalists.
In a later missive relayed to the Earl of Portsmouth, Bruere accused Henry Tucker, and Jones of conspiring with the rebels.
Browne utilized the loyalist reforms made by Bruere to strengthen ties to Great Britain while using his mercantile background to placate the more pro-American Bermudians.