Donald Cogley Bruce was a U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from Indiana

Indiana

Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...

 and a founder of the American Conservative Union

American Conservative Union

The American Conservative Union is an American political organization advocating conservative policies, and is the oldest such conservative lobbying organization in the country.-Organization:...

.

Born in Troutville, Pennsylvania

Troutville, Pennsylvania

Troutville is a borough in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 224 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Troutville is located at ....

, Bruce graduated from high school in Allentown, Pennsylvania

Allentown, Pennsylvania

Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...

, and attended Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio

New Concord, Ohio

New Concord is a village in Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,651 at the 2000 census. New Concord is the home of Muskingum University and is served by a branch of the Muskingum County Library System.-Geography:...

. He was employed in the radio broadcasting industry for twenty years, serving as program director, business manager, and general manager. In 1960 he was elected to the House as a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 from Indiana, serving two terms before being defeated in the 1964 senatorial primary.

Following the landslide

Landslide victory

In politics, a landslide victory is the victory of a candidate or political party by an overwhelming margin in an election...

 defeat of Barry Goldwater

Barry Goldwater

Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...

 in the November general election, Bruce joined with other conservatives to discuss responses to the seeming liberal triumph represented by Lyndon Johnson's reelection. This led to a subsequent meeting in December at which the nascent organization was named the American Conservative Union

American Conservative Union

The American Conservative Union is an American political organization advocating conservative policies, and is the oldest such conservative lobbying organization in the country.-Organization:...

 and Bruce was elected as its first chairman, a position he held until October of the following year. He also established Bruce Enterprises, a management and political consulting firm.

Bruce died August 31, 1969 in Round Hill, Virginia

Round Hill, Virginia

Round Hill is the name of several communities in the U.S. state of Virginia.*Round Hill, Frederick County, Virginia*Round Hill, Loudoun County, Virginia *Round Hill, Rappahannock County, Virginia...

and is buried nearby.