Ethel Bruce
| Ethel Anderson Viscountess Bruce | |
|---|---|
|
Ethel and Stanley Bruce arrive in London, c. 1931 | |
| Spouse of the Prime Minister of Australia | |
|
In office 9 February 1923 – 22 October 1929 | |
| Preceded by | Dame Mary Hughes |
| Succeeded by | Sarah Scullin |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
25 May 1879 Melbourne, Australia |
| Died |
16 March 1967 (aged 88) London, England |
| Spouse(s) | Stanley Bruce |
Ethel Dunlop Bruce, Viscountess Bruce of Melbourne (née Anderson; 25 May 1879 – 16 March 1967)[1] was the wife of Stanley Bruce, the eighth Prime Minister of Australia.
She lived in Pine Hill, Frankston in her husband's electorate of Flinders before moving into The Lodge, which at that time was intended to be the temporary residence of the Australian Prime Minister. It was her responsibility, as the wife of the Prime Minister, to hire staff. She brought Maude Holskamp and Myrtle Wood over to Canberra from Melbourne to serve as cook and housemaid respectively. Their payment proved to be an unforeseen complication as the various departments sorted out a procedure. For a while Ethel herself had to pay their wages, thus creating another problem as the departments sorted out which department would refund the Prime Minister's wife. She died on 16 March 1967 in London.[2] She had no children.[3]