John Ernest was anti-slavery prior to the American Civil War, serving as Battalion Doctor in the Missouri State Militia during the hostilities.
Both John Ernest (d. Nov. 23, 1912) and Cornelia (June 30, 1930) would relocate from Saint Charles, Missouri to New York City as Bruère rose to prominence.
[1] The Municipal Research Bureau that launched Bruère's New York career was financed by R. Fulton Cutting, chairman of the Citizens' Union.
[2] Henry and his three Bureau investigators faced an uphill battle as they were systematically shut out of city offices, denied access to official information.
[3] The Bureau's studies covered jurisdictions throughout the northeastern United States, including the review of Chamber of Commerce fire prevention efforts in Rochester, New York.
The working relationship furthered reform in the city, and resulted in a White House summit on reorganization of District of Columbia with President Wilson in March 1913.
As the Evening Post summarized the decision, "Bruère, as it has been repeatedly pointed out, is the most important of all the members of the Mayor's cabinet: he best represents the spirit of the new Administration.
[9] Remaining as Chamberlain, Bruère began a series of reforms that focused on a removal of redundant agencies and a centralization of activities allowing for an end to duplicate operations.
[11] During the spring of 1915, New York press reports confirmed that Bruère was concerned about his lack of employment prospects should he stay through the entire Mitchel administration.
When asked about the pending retirement, Bruère noted his closeness to the Mayor gave him a strong indication that reforms would continue.
[12] An attempt to change the Charter of New York and expand the Chamberlain's powers had failed just prior to Bruère's announced retirement.
[13][14] After leaving the Mitchel administration in 1916, Bruère served as vice president and efficiency expert at the American Metal Company, 61 Broadway.
[19] In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Bruère was a member of the Executive Committee and Board of the Welfare Council of New York City, leading the drive for government unemployment relief.
Later, Mr. Bruère was a Vice President of Metropolitan Life, and the CEO of the Bowery Savings Bank,[20] which became his operating base from the late 1920s until the early 1950s, when he retired.
[21] Six months before the Great Crash of October 1929, Henry Bruère – then president of Bowery Savings and Loan – used a speech before the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture to warn of the 'gambling' psychology then evident in stock market decisions.
While at the White House, he was on the media communications team which proposed the "Fireside Chat" between the President and the American people, via a new medium called 'radio'.
When Robert Moses' Brooklyn Civic Center and an adjacent Concord Village were approaching double the estimated cost, local leaders looked to Bruère to provide a solution.
Alison made news at Vassar College the year before by protesting the presence of men in a theatre production by the Experimental Theater.
[28] Also removing to New York City from Missouri was Henry's sister, Mina Bruère, a feminist and banking executive in her own right.