1481 Charles Rose

Constituency : Newmarket  1903-10, 1910-13

Charles  took  Newmarket  after  the  death  of  the  Tory  MP.

Charles  was  the  son  of  a  Canadian  politician  and  was  born  in  Montreal. He  was  educated  there  and  at  Rugby.  He  was  a  young  captain  in  the  Montreal  Garrison  Artillery  and  helped  to  fend  off  a  Fenian  attack. He  started  work  in  an  American  bank  based  in  London  and  was  involved  in  a  syndicate  to  build  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railway. In  the  1880s  he  started  breeding  race  horses. He  also  owned  a  paint  company.  He  was  also  a  keen  yachtsman. He  stood  in  Newmarket  in  1900.  He  lost  two  sons  in  the  Boer  War.

In  1909  Charles  was  created  a  baronet.

Charles  was  defeated  in  January  1910  but  regained  the  seat  in  December.

Charles  was  a  member  of  the  Road  Board  and  most  of  his  latter  contributions  to  the  House  were  on  motoring  matters.

Charles  was  president  of  the  Royal  Aero  Club.

Charles  is  thought  to  have  inspired  the  character  of  Toad  in  The  Wind  in  the  Willows.

Charles  died  of  a  heart  attack  in  1913  aged  65.