Russell Wayne Kruse (December 9, 1922 – May 4, 2007) was an American auctioneer best known for building the business of auctioning classic cars through

Kruse International Kruse International was an auction firm founded by Russell Kruse in Auburn, Indiana, in 1952. The company began as a local auction company selling real estate, farms and personal property run by Kruse and his sons Dean, Dennis and Daniel. The compa ...

. Born in Auburn, Indiana, he took up farming after graduating from high school. After losing crops to flooding two years in a row, he took up auctioneering to cover the costs of raising his seven children. He attended the

Reppert School of Auctioneering The Reppert School of Auctioneering is an auctioneer education provider, since 1921. History The Reppert School of Auctioneering was founded in 1921 by Col. Fred Reppert of Decatur, Indiana. Fred Reppert started in the auction business as a youn ...

in December 1952 and started a local real estate and farm auction business. He was a licensed auctioneer, real estate broker and certified residential appraiser in the state of Indiana. In 1971, the Auburn Chamber of Commerce needed fundraising for their annual classic-car show. Kruse suggested auctioning off some of the antique cars. When a bidder's $61,000 bid for a locally-made

Duesenberg Duesenberg Automobile and Motors Company, Inc. was an American race car, racing and luxury car, luxury automobile manufacturer founded in Indianapolis, Indiana, by brothers Fred Duesenberg, Fred and August Duesenberg in 1920. The company is ...

was turned down, the press picked up the story, and his fame as a car auctioneer took off. He started the Kruse Auction Institute in 1972 to give pre-licensing training to auctioneers. Russell was on the original Indiana Board of Auctioneers and served as chairman. He was also a past president of the Indiana Auctioneer's Association, and a member of their hall of fame,Indiana Auctioneers Association
along with two of his son's - Dean Kruse and Dennis Kruse. Because of the lucrative divisions that auctioned real estate and oil field equipment,

ITT ITT may refer to: Communication * Infantry-Tank Telephone, a device allowing infantrymen to speak to the occupants of armoured vehicles. Mathematics *Intuitionistic type theory, other name of Martin-Löf Type Theory *Intensional type theory B ...

bought Kruse International in 1981, but the family bought it back in 1987. eBay then bought the company in 1999 but sold it back in 2003. Three of his sons are involved in the auction business:

Dean Kruse Dean V. Kruse (born 1941) is an American former auctioneer. He is also the former owner and CEO of Kruse International. Kruse started working in the local auction business founded by his father, Russell W. Kruse, and soon became the company's ...

Dennis Kruse Dennis K. Kruse (born October 7, 1946) is an American businessman and politician. Kruse was a founder of the auction business Kruse International before entered politics as a Republican. He was a member of the Indiana House of Representatives fr ...

and Daniel Kruse, as well as eight grandchildren. He founded the Kruse Auction Institute in 1972, and served as an instructor at the Reppert School of Auctioneering from 1996 until his death in 2007. His first wife, Luella (Boger), the mother of his seven children, died in 2000. Kruse died in Fort Wayne, Indiana of a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

, aged 84.Martin, Douglas (May 8, 2007). Russell W. Kruse, Auctioneer of Classic Autos, dies at 85. '' New York Times''

References

External links

Kruse International

Reppert School of Auctioneering's official website

Kruse Auction Institute's official website
1922 births 2007 deaths People from Auburn, Indiana People from Fort Wayne, Indiana American auctioneers 20th-century American businesspeople {{US-business-bio-1920s-stub