A Stone Suitable for a Great Man: John Edward Bruce
Prolific journalist, historian, writer, orator, civil rights activist, Prince Hall Mason and Republican John Edward Bruce lived in Yonkers for 15 years.
Born into slavery in Maryland, Bruce and his mother Martha escaped, to Washington D.C. in 1860, after his father was sold. In Washington D.C, he received private school education provided by his mother’s employer. He also was privately tutored by Belva Bennett Lockwood.
Not only was Lockwood one of the first woman lawyers in the United States, but she was also the first woman admitted to practice law before the US Supreme Court. She ran for US President on the National Equal Rights ticket in 1884 and 1888, the first woman to run for president, long before women had the right to vote.
At 18, Bruce joined the staff of the New York Times Washington Bureau. Soon after, he was the official American correspondent for London’s African Times and the Orient Review. He became special correspondent for papers in Richmond, St. Louis, Chicago, New York, and Detroit, and a regular contributor to newspapers in the Caribbean, Africa and Europe.
He moved to Yonkers in 1902; he lived mostly in downtown Yonkers, but no matter where he lived, he was immersed in Yonkers.
He joined the AME Zion Church on New Main Street in Yonkers, after addressing the church’s Literary Guild “On a Glimpse of the Negro, Past & Present,” in August 1902. Equating prejudice with ignorance, he pointed out that American labor rarely allowed Blacks to practice a trade, and employers “dared not run counter to the will of those organizations.”
By 1903, he was President of The Literary Society. He arranged presentations by distinguished Black poets, authors, educators, and musicians, speaking on a variety of topics, whether education, Southern disenfranchisement, influence of Black women, or lack of economic opportunity. Bruce took on the job of Director of the Lyceum; one of their first projects was an exposition of crafts made by the church community and friends, showcasing everything from the works in a piano, to photography, clothing and literature.
By the next year, he cofounded, with Francis Moultrie, a men’s discussion group, the Sunday Men’s Club and served as its secretary. This group of local intellectuals presented literary discussions, speakers and cultural programs, with meeting topics that focused on improving the life of African Americans. Bruce, a popular member of the lecture circuit himself, never hesitated to speak on injustice.
An active Republican, he spoke at political meetings, and often was on the dais at Yonkers’ Republican Party rallies. He addressed his first party meeting in 1902 and actively participated in the party. By 1908, he was one of the six Yonkers’ First Assembly District delegates to the Republican State Convention.
Although a Republican, he served on President Wilson’s 1913 Inauguration Committee as Chairman of the Committee on Public Comfort. He brought several distinguished Yonkers professionals to his committee: Caterer Francis Moultrie, attorney Stephen Bennett, editor Charles Scott, American Press Association’s N. B. Dodson and service professional Samuel Giddings.
While in Yonkers, he established the Yonkers Weekly Standard, Westchester’s first Black newspaper. Articles from this newspaper were often picked up and published in other newspapers, both local papers and papers of renown such as the New York Times and the Washington Post.
In 1911, Bruce founded The Negro Society for Historical Research in his living room at 146 Warburton Avenue, with his mentee Arturo Schomburg. Together they created an institute to support Pan-African-African-West African and Afro-American scholarly efforts, establishing a comprehensive lending library of literature on Black history and philosophy. Because of Bruce’s internationally respected reputation and ability to reach out to scholars around the world, he obtained books from authors of African and African descent from around the world.
After Bruce’s death, the society library became the foundation of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the NY repository for information on people of African descent worldwide.
Although he was a prolific journalist and author, writing did not pay all the bills; in 1910, Bruce became an inspector for Port Authority in Brooklyn. Diabetes began to affect his health; the long commute to work started to become a bit difficult. He and his wife moved to Brooklyn by 1918.
His passion for African history led him to join Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) at the age of sixty-four. He became a father figure and mentor to Garvey, while eloquently espousing Pan-African nationalist ideas as the featured writer for the organization’s two newspapers.
Failing health caused him to retire from the Port Authority in 1922.
After he died August 1924, Bruce had three funeral services; more than 5,000 people marched behind his hearse as it traveled between services. Prince Hall Masons and Universal Negro Improvement Association members were prominent in his funeral processions, marching in uniform. UNIA President Marcus Garvey dressed in black, symbolizing the grief of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, as well as his own grief.
In death, Bruce returned to Yonkers; he laid in an unmarked grave at Oakland Cemetery for 100 years. The James H. Farrell Lodge #34, Prince Hall Masons, recognized the injustice of this important, talented man going unrecognized; they arranged to have a temporary marker placed on his grave.
The lodge is now raising funds for a permanent stone, a stone suitable for a man of his importance. The GoFundMe link to donate to John Edward Bruce tribute is https://www.gofundme.com/f/tribute-to-john-edward-bruce-headstone-fundraiser?qid=d16a4c796c3442c6d7b79832201dad9b.xs
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Fourth generation Yonkers resident Mary Hoar continued her family tradition of community service when appointed to the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Board at age 16. She had a long career as a teacher in the Yonkers Public School System. She is President Emerita of Yonkers Historical Society, a founder and President of the Untermyer Performing Arts Council, and a history columnist for a local weekly newspaper. In addition, she serves on the Landmarks Preservation Board, the Family Service Society and numerous other organizations. Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano appointed her to be the City of Yonkers Historian in 2022.