The 1885 Bruce by-election was a by-election held on 5 August 1885 in the Bruce electorate during the 9th New Zealand Parliament. The by-election was held after the resignation of Robert Gillies for health reasons. He had won the seat at the general 1884 election. He was replaced by Donald Reid. The runner-up James McDonald had represented Bruce up to the 1884 election. A former representative of the Bruce electorate, William Murray, was invited to contest the by-election but he declined. J. C. Anderson was born in Bruce and had farmed there for thirteen years.