William George Bruce (March 17, 1856 – August 13, 1949) was a Milwaukee author, publisher of educational, historical and religious books, and founder of the American School Board Journal.
William's early education was at home due to illness, although he attended St. Mary's parish school when he was eleven.
He attended night school for a time in Milwaukee and also later in Louisville, Kentucky, where he worked in a picture frame factory.
In 1914, the company launched Industrial Arts and Vocational Education, the shop teachers' professional magazine, and three years later began publishing technical books.
He was on the 1905 committee that first began planning a replacement for the city's Exposition Building that had burned down in June of that year.
In addition, he served as a member and at times as president of the Wisconsin Deep Waterways Commission, the Saint Lawrence Tidewater Association, and a number of similar organizations that aimed to connect the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.
[9] In 1921, Bruce helped found and was elected one of three directors of the original Milwaukee County Historical Society.
[11] From 1930 to 1947, he was a member of the Board of Curators of the Wisconsin Historical Society and served for a time as vice president.
Bruce's involvement in the political realm began when he served as chairman of the Democratic city and county committee from 1896–1906.
Several awards and honors were presented to William George Bruce, recognizing his service to education, to Milwaukee and to the Catholic Church.
After extensive renovation in 2001–2003, it was renamed the Milwaukee Theatre and now hosts varied performances including concerts, Broadway musicals, family shows and assemblies.
The port and harbor are seen today, as in Bruce's time, as important to the economic stability and growth of Milwaukee and Wisconsin.
The noted Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović received the commission for the sculpture Immigrant Mother that stands today in Milwaukee's Cathedral Square Park.