Edward Bruce Douglas, (1866 - 1946) was a young
American industrialist who became a sculptor and soldier.
The son
of Walter D. Douglas, an American business executive who went down in
the Titanic, and the former Lulu Camp (1862 - Dec 1899), he was born at
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA spent much of his life in Europe where he had
served as an army captain in World War I. He was a descendant of the Douglases of Glenbervie line through his great-great grandmother, Isabel
Douglas.
On his return to the United States, he first worked in
industry, but already felt very attracted to Art.
He enrolled at
the New York Central School of Arts where he became the disciple of the
great Danish-American sculptor George J. Lober, executive secretary of
the New York City Art commission.
In 1927, he moved to Rome in
order to perfect his technique of sculpture. On the boat that took him
to Europe, he met an elegant young woman from Brittany, Marthe Legret.
It was love at first sight! From their union was born a girl, Beatrice.
After two years in Italy, they moved to Saint-Rémy, in France,
to the mill of Clayes, where Edward constructed a large studio.
In time, he became an internationally known sculptor, with his work in
stone and bronze being represented in many art centers of the world; his
prizes and awards include the gold medal at the annual exhibition at
Asnieres, France, in 1936; the Logan Medal for Sanity in Art at San
Francisco in 1942, and an honorable mention at the Allied Artists
Exhibition at San Francisco in 1935.
During the Olympic Games,
held in Germany in 1936, he received a bronze medal from the German
government for his sculpture work depicting sports. He also won honors
in competitive exhibitions in Berlin, Liege and Rome, and at the
Beaux-Arts Salon in Paris.
During World War II, they are forced
to take refuge in the United States and so the mill was entrusted to a
Belgian couple, the Count and Countess of Errembault Dudzeele who had
two daughters. One of them, Anne-Marie(1), was actively involved in acts
of resistance, despite the presence of German at the mill.
He was
a member of the American Club of Paris, the Salmagundi Club of New York,
the Bohemian Club of San Francisco, the National Sculpture Society and
the American Artists Professional League, of which he was Past State
Chairman.
Edward maintained a home on the family estate at Lake
Minnetonka, near Minneapolis, Minnesota, but was planning to visit his
property in Saint-Rémy when he died of a heart attack at his winter home
at San Francisco, California, on 7th February 1946.
Edward Bruce
Douglas is interred in The Douglas Family Crypt at the
Oak Hill Cemetery, which was erected in 1885 in memory of George Douglas (1816 -
1884).
He left a widow, the former Marthe Legret, and a
daughter, Beatrice, a student at the Dominican convent in San Rafael,
California. There was a son William (dead before his 1 year). His elder
brother, born in 1885, Captain George Camp Douglas(2) of the Royal
Garrison Artillery, predeceased him in 1925.
His widow remained
at the mill with his daughter until 1957. Marthe Douglas is remembered
as a woman of natural grace and being very generous.
In 1954 to
Saint-Rémy, Marthe donated to the Municipality of Saint-Rémy one of the
works of her late husband, a bronze rooster, one of the symbols of the
Republic.
Notes:
1. Anne Marie, countess Errembault de
Dudzeele 1922-1986, daughter of Gaston, count Errembault de Dudzeele
Gaston, comte Errembault de Dudzeele
2. George Camp Douglas was born
in early 1886 and in his younger days was a vexation to his father and
Walter even made a provision in his will stating that Mahala would have
discretion in determining if George's irresponsibility had moderated
before receiving "his fortune." A provision in Douglas' will required
that he earn $2,500 in two consecutive years, in order to receive his
share of the estate, but this provision was waived by the trustees of
the will because the son had served in the British Army for five years
during World War I, being wounded twice and being cited for bravery by
Field Marshal Lord French. George apparently remained fairly reckless
though. He died on May 23, 1925 at the age of 39.
Béatrice Douglas was born in 1928 in France. She died in 1995 in
France.
Béatrice married Jean François Latil in France. Jean was
born in 1930 in Grenoble, France. He died in 1980 in Paris, France.
They had the following children:
Françoise Douglas Latil was
born in 1958.
Annick Latil Douglas was born in 1960 in Paris, France.
Françoise Douglas Latil was born in 1958 in Paris France.
Françoise married Durou. They had the following children:
Marin
Douglas Latil Durou, born in 1996 in Toulouse, France.
Paco Douglas
Latil Durou, born in 1998 in Toulouse, France.
See also:
•
The Douglas mausoleum
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