Charles Cruft (showman)

Charles Cruft
A photograph of Charles Cruft, published in 1902
Born	(1852-06-28)28 June 1852
Died	10 September 1938(1938-09-10) (aged 86) Highbury, London, England
Resting place	Highgate Cemetery 51°34′04″N 0°08′56″W / 51.5679°N 0.1488°W / 51.5679; -0.1488
Alma mater	Ardingly College,Sussex Birkbeck College, London
Occupation(s)	Show promoter and businessman
Known for	Crufts Dog Show
Spouses	Charlotte Hutchinson (first wife) Emma Isabel Hartshorn (second wife)
Children	4
Parent	Charles Cruft (father)

Charles Alfred Cruft (28 June 1852 – 10 September 1938) was a British showman who founded the Crufts dog show. Charles first became involved with dogs when he began to work at Spratt's, a manufacturer of dog biscuits. He rose to the position of general manager, and whilst working for Spratt's in France he was invited to run his first dog show at the 1878 Exposition Universelle. After running dog shows in London for four years, he ran his first Cruft's dog show in 1891, and continued to run a further 45 shows until his death in 1938, as well as running two cat shows in 1894 and 1895. He was involved in a range of dog breed clubs, including that for Schipperkes, Pugs and Borzois. He and his wife upheld a story that they never owned a dog, and instead owned a cat, however Cruft admitted to owning at least one Saint Bernard in his memoirs, published posthumously.