About Edward Bruce (New Deal)
Edward Bright Bruce was the administrator of the New Deal art projects of the United States Department of the Treasury: the Public Works of Art Project (1933–1934), the Section of Painting and Sculpture (1934–1943), and the Treasury Relief Art Project (1935–1938). Ned Bruce was a successful lawyer and entrepreneur before giving up his business career altogether at the age of 43 to become an artist. However, like most artists during the Depression, he found it impossible to make a living making art, and he grudgingly returned to business as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. In 1932 he joined the Treasury Department, where his expertise in monetary policy and art guided federal efforts to employ workers in the visual arts during the Great Depression in the United States. In 1915 he changed his focus to banking and trade throughout China and the Far East with a company he created, the Pacific Development Corporation. In December 1933, Bruce was appointed administrator of the first federally supported arts program, the Public Works of Art Project. In October 1934, the Treasury Department created the Section of Painting and Sculpture (later named the Section of Fine Arts, and usually called simply the Section) under Bruce's leadership. Administered by the Section under Bruce, the Treasury Relief Art Project was created in July 1935.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.