Background
George Bruce was born on September 23, 1858, in Waterloo, Iowa, United States; the son of George Douglas and Margaret (Boyd) Douglas.
Ames, IA 50011, USA
From 1876 to 1877 George studied at the State University of Iowa in Ames, Iowa, United States.
George Bruce was born on September 23, 1858, in Waterloo, Iowa, United States; the son of George Douglas and Margaret (Boyd) Douglas.
George Bruce Douglas was educated in public and private schools. From 1874 to 1876 he studied at Iowa State College of Agricultural and Mechanic Arts in Iowa, United States. From 1876 to 1877 he studied at the State University of Iowa in Ames, Iowa, United States.
Upon graduation, George joined Douglas and Stuart, which in 1891 became part of the Quaker Oats Company. In 1894 with his brother Walter D. Douglas, he organized the Douglas Company to manufacture linseed oil. It was one of several large agriculturally based industries founded in Cedar Rapids at that time. In 1899 it was sold to the American Linseed Company. The brothers built a new starch plant in 1903, which, during its 16-year history, reached a national market with its cornstarch and corn oil products. New buildings were added, and by 1914 the company employed more than 400 people. It was among the first to adver-tise its products nationally in women’s magazines. The ads often included recipes featuring Douglas cornstarch and Douglas oil.
In 1906, in the largest private real estate transaction in Cedar Rapids to that date, they traded their home at 800 Second Avenue, which they had built in 1894, for Caroline Soutter Sinclair’s country estate. Following two years of extensive remodeling of the mansion, the Douglas family moved into their new home. The estate, named Brucemore to reflect Douglas’s Scottish heritage, became the city’s most prominent residential site as it expanded to 33 acres by 1910.
The new land permitted the construction of a barn, stable, servants’ duplex, squash court, book bindery, greenhouse, and guest cottage as well as formal gardens in a landscape designed by O. C. Simonds. The Douglas family spent summers in Charlevoix, Michigan, and winters in Santa Barbara, California, where they had homes.
Although a serious businessman, Douglas also wrote poetry to his daughters, performed in local theatrical productions, and was an avid golfer. In 1905 he was a founder and first president of the Cedar Rapids Country Club, where he could pursue his athletic and social interests. For many years he served on the Coe College Board of Trustees, where he chaired the Finance Committee. Other ventures included service on the boards of Cedar Rapids National Bank, Security Savings Bank, St. Luke’s Hospital, and the First Presbyterian Church.
In 1912 tragedy struck, like his brother, Walter, was returning from Europe with his wife on the Titanic. Walter Douglas perished as he helped other passengers to safety. His wife, Mahala, and her maid were saved. Later Mahala Douglas testified at a congressional hearing about the disaster. Walter’s body was recovered and buried in the family mausoleum at Oak Hill Cemetery in Cedar Rapids.
After Walter’s death, George Douglas continued to expand the Douglas Starch Works, which by 1914 was rated as the largest independent starch works in the world. The prosperity and expansion stopped in May 1919, when a devastating explosion at the Starch Works killed 43 workers. The loss was estimated at $3 million. Engineers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture arrived the next day to investigate the cause. Despite a thorough inquest, the result was reported only as a fire of unknown origin followed by an explosion. After the accident, Penick & Ford, Ltd. acquired the company and began operation in January 1921.
Throughout his life, George Bruce Douglas traveled widely in the United States and abroad. However, following the explosion at the plant, he retreated to his home, suffered from severe depression, and lived a quiet life until his death of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1923. His widow, Irene Hazeltine Douglas, assumed some of his responsibilities, including becoming Coe College’s first female trustee. Brucemore continued to be the center of much social and philanthropic activity during the next 14 years. Eldest daughter Margaret Douglas Hall and her husband, Howard Hall, lived in the estate’s Garden House after their 1924 marriage, joining Irene Douglas in Brucemore endeavors.
On June 1, 1892, George married Irene Hazeltine. The couple had three daughters, Margaret, Ellen, and Barbara.