E. Bruce - Obituary

E. Edward Bruce

BRUCE E. Edward Bruce An attorney specializing in appellate law, died June 1, 2016 at The Oasis of Grand Oaks at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, DC. He was 77. The cause was complications following a five-year struggle withAlzheimer''s. Mr. Bruce enjoyed a reputation as a formidable legal mind. For 40 years he practiced law at Covington & Burling, litigating on behalf of high profile clients such as ExxonMobil and Procter & Gamble, often in US Courts of Appeals or the US Supreme Court. Mr. Bruce was born in Hutchinson, Kansas, on November 23, 1938, and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. After high school, he attended Yale College and graduated summa cum laude in 1960. He subsequently served for three years in the US Navy, reaching the rank of Lieutenant. He returned to Yale University for his law degree, graduating magna cum laude in 1966. He was a law clerk for Justice Potter Stewart of the US Supreme Court before joining Covington & Burling in 1967. He was appointed Partner in 1973. In 1960, Mr. Bruce married his high school sweetheart, Marnell Higley, a graduate of Julliard and a Broadway singer. The couple settled in Washington, DC, where they raised their two children, remaining married until Marnell''s death in 2010. Ed, as Mr. Bruce preferred to be called, was a patron of the arts in Washington, and he enjoyed many enthusiasms including dancing, singing, opera, and writing tongue-in-cheek songs about US Supreme Court decisions. An avid birder, he traveled as far afield as Africa to add to his "life list'' of bird sightings and was a board member of both the Audubon National Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. He belonged to the Metropolitan Club and the Chevy Chase Club. Mr. Bruce is survived by his son, Anthony, daughter-in-law Collette and their three children, (Mary Charlotte, Summers, and Baker) who live in Washington, DC; and daughter Caroline Macaulay, son-in-law Sean and their two children (Isabel and Honor) who live in Los Angeles, California. A celebration of Ed''s life will be held on the afternoon of June 20, 2016. Please contact the family for details.Mr. Bruce is survived by his son, Anthony, daughter-in-law Collette and their three children, (Mary Charlotte, Summers, and Baker) who live in Washington, DC; and daughter Caroline Macaulay, son-in-law Sean and their two children (Isabel and Honor) who live in Los Angeles, California. A celebration of Ed''s life will be held on the afternoon of June 20, 2016. Please contact the family for details.

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Published in The Washington Post on Jun. 5, 2016.

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5 entries

July 3, 2016

Ed and I were classmates in Yale College and Yale Law School, and neighbors as young professionals in Washington, D.C. I will always remember his brilliance and scholarship, but also never forget his invariable humanity and humility. Among many instances of his graciousness, I recall Ed, without my asking, researching a legal case for me and my family. Ed's was an exemplary life. I would like to extend my sincere condolences to the Bruce family.

Guy Stevens

June 23, 2016

I just want to echo Denny and Hope. Ed Bruce's passing leaves a huge hole in the Yale Law School class of 1966. Ed was the highly accomplished law student that we all wanted to be and, at the same time, the nice guy that we all wished we were. And, for those of us who gathered for touch football on the weekends, Ed was also the best quarterback on the field. The thought of Ed's struggling with Alzheimer's is heart-breaking. We will all miss Ed and extend to his family our sincerest condolences.

Steve Howard

June 21, 2016

Ed was perhaps the most admired and accomplished member of our law school class. He did everything and won all the awards -- moot court, barrister's union, etc. I remember him as one of my three best friends in law school. He taught me more than many of our professors, especially with his signature advice -- "Don't overthink it." I had a weekly lunch with him during the last two years of law school, but we went our separate ways after that except for yearly lunches, either in DC or Los Angeles.I wish we had been closer over the years. I miss his humor, his clarity of mind, and his devotion to the craft of lawyering.

denny curtis

June 17, 2016

This is too sad for words. Ed was a wonderful classmate at Yale Law School -- unfailing kind and considerate in an era when women law students didn't often encounter that behavior. The few times I contacted him after law school, inquiring as to his availability to assist on a legal matter, he was again thoughtful and helpful. Until I read his obituary I had no idea what an avid birder he was or that he was on the board of my former employer, National Audubon Society. How sadly out of touch we become for not very good reasons. My clear loss!

Please accept my heartfelt condolences at your loss. I' so sorry.

best, hope babcock (YLS '66)

hope babcock

June 5, 2016

I would like to offer my condolence to
the BRUCE family on the loss of your
loved one please be comforted in knowing
that God see your pain and cares deeply
for you 1Perter 5:7.

Al Somers

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