Background
Barclay was born in 1922 in Dargaville. He was the son of James Gillespie Barclay (1882–1972), a farmer, Member of Parliament for Marsden (1935-1943) and Minister of Agriculture between 1941 and 1943.
Barclay was born in 1922 in Dargaville. He was the son of James Gillespie Barclay (1882–1972), a farmer, Member of Parliament for Marsden (1935-1943) and Minister of Agriculture between 1941 and 1943.
Bruce Barclay received his education at Whangarei High School. Towards the end of his life, he lived in Tancred Street in the Christchurch suburb of Linwood. Barclay represented South Canterbury in rugby (1942–1944) and tennis (1943, 1945, 1946).
From 1956, he was director of the Canterbury Dairy Farmers.
He played golf for recreation. He represented the Christchurch Central electorate in the New Zealand House of Representatives from 1969 to 1979 when he died.
He had previously stood unsuccessfully for Labour in Fendalton in the 1963 election, the 1966 election, and the 1967 by-election.
Barclay was a member of the Lyttelton Harbour Board from 1965 to 1968.