Born in Wandiligong, Victoria, he was educated at Haileybury College in Melbourne before moving to Queensland to become a bushworker in 1902.

In 1923 Bruce was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland as the Labor member for the district of Kennedy.

Bruce left the Queensland Legislative Assembly in 1950,[1] and the following year was elected to the Australian House of Representatives as the Labor member for Leichhardt.

[2] As the federal election of that year was drawing close, no by-election was held to replace him.

[3] Media related to Henry Bruce (Australian politician) at Wikimedia Commons