Edward Bruce Douglas

Click here to 
Print this page

Biography finder

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

 

 

Index of first names

Edward Bruce Douglas Marthe  mausoleum  

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.

Beatrice Farmer Plants: image 3 0f 4 thumb Antelope Le coq
The above works of art images are extracted from a website collated by Edward  Bruce's grand daughters, Annick Latil Douglas and Françoise Douglas Latil. They are attempting to locate all his works, and have contributed to this biography, for which I am grateful.
See: http://www.sculptures-ebdouglas.com


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



Any contributions will be gratefully accepted





 

Back to top

 



The content of this website is a collection of materials gathered from a variety of sources, some of it unedited.

The webmaster does not intend to claim authorship, but gives credit to the originators for their work.

As work progresses, some of the content may be re-written and presented in a unique format, to which we would then be able to claim ownership.

Discussion and contributions from those more knowledgeable is welcome.

Contact Us

Last modified: Monday, 25 March 2024