Born: 22 January 1816, United States
Died: 13 March 1900
Country most active: United States
Also known as: NA
The following is excerpted from What Women Have Done for Astronomy in the United States, written by Anne P McKenney and published in Popular Astronomy, vol. 12, pp.171-182 in 1904.
The most unbounded liberality so universally bestowed by Miss Catherine Bruce upon every branch of astronomy in all parts of the world will make her name go down in future ages as worthy of unlimited admiration. One can hardly pick up an astronomical publication in these days without finding a mention of some new gift from her to astronomy,-$250 to purchase a small instrument for a zealous astronomer in a faraway island of the sea; $25,000 to aid in the removal of a vast Observatory to a better location; $15,000 to pay for printing various valuable astronomical researches; $50,000 to purchase a new photographic telescope. These are but a small portion of her benefactions bestowed with so much wisdom as to make the first gift no less acceptable than the last. Miss Bruce has been called “the Maecenus of Astronomy.” Her intelligent generosity knew no limits of race or country. Her kind and thoughtful care lightened many a burden in her own land and helped to finish many a task where patience and other resources were nearly gone. To Professor Max Wolf at Heidelberg she gave $10,000 for a telescope. With this instrument he discovered a new asteroid and named it “Brucia” in honor of Miss Bruce.
Harvard and Columbia seem to have been the institutions which have gained most through Miss Bruce’s liberality. To the former, from time to time, she gave $50,500, and to the latter $14,100. Her donations to astronomy in ten years from June 1889 to Nov. 29, 1899, amounted to $174,275. Miss Bruce was born January 22, 1816. Her home was in New York City, where she died March 13, 1900. She was a daughter of George Bruce, the famous type founder. She was an accomplished woman, having a knowledge of Latin, Greek, French and Italian. She was for many years an invalid. She has left a gracious memory of good and generous deeds and an impressive example of noble womanhood.