Sir Charles Rose, 1st Baronet

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Sir Charles Day Rose, 1st Baronet (23 August 1847 – 20 April 1913) was a British-Canadian businessman, racehorse breeder, yachtsman, and Liberal politician. He served as Member of Parliament for Newmarket and was president of the Royal Aero Club. Some people think he inspired the character Toad in The Wind in the Willows.

He was born in Montreal, the second son of Sir John Rose, 1st Baronet. His father moved from Scotland to Canada and held several government jobs. Charles went to the High School of Montreal and then to Rugby School in England. He joined the Montreal Garrison Artillery and helped defend Canada during the Fenian raids in 1870.

Charles went into business, working with an American bank in London and helping with the promotion of the Canadian Pacific Railway. In the late 1880s and early 1890s he became a leading horse breeder at Newmarket, Suffolk. His best horse was Ravensbury, though Isinglass, owned by Harry McCalmont, was more famous. He also bred the important stallion Cyllene and joined the Jockey Club in 1891.

In 1893 he began yachting and joined the Royal Victoria Yacht Club. He was made a baronet on 19 July 1909, after buying Hardwick House in Oxfordshire.

Charles Rose’s life also touched politics. He ran as a Liberal for Newmarket in 1900 but did not beat the Conservative Harry McCalmont. After McCalmont died in December 1902, Rose won the by-election in January 1903. He held the seat in 1906, was defeated in January 1910, and then regained it in December 1910.

Aviation was another interest of his, and he served as president of the Royal Aero Club. In April 1913, he died of a heart attack at age 65 while returning from a flight near Hendon.

He married Eliza McClean in 1871, and they had four sons and one daughter. Two of his eldest sons died in the Second Boer War. His eldest surviving son, Frank Stanley Rose, became the 2nd Baronet but died in 1914 in World War I. Charles Henry Rose (1912–1966) became the 3rd Baronet.