Dennis K. Kruse (born October 7, 1946) is an American businessman and politician. Kruse was a founder of the auction business

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 ...

before entered politics as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. He was a member of the

Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House me ...

from 1989 to 2004 and has been a member of the

Indiana Senate The Indiana Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-year term ...

since 2004, representing Senate District 14.

Early life, education, and business career

Kruse started working in the local auction business with his father, Russell W. Kruse, and his older brother Dean Kruse. They were later joined by his younger brother, Daniel J. Kruse, and started what became Kruse International Collector Car Auctions in 1971. In 1979, Kruse left the collector car business to focus on local auctions and real estate. A 1964 graduate of the Reppert School of Auctioneering in

Decatur, Indiana Decatur is a city in Root and Washington townships, Adams County, Indiana, United States. It is the county seat (and the largest community) of Adams County. Decatur is home to Adams Memorial Hospital, which was designated as one of the "To ...

, Kruse served as president of the

auction school An auction school is an institution or course of study that prepares an individual to become an auctioneer. Requirements Many U.S. states regulate the auction industry, and require that (among other things) an individual attend an approved auction ...

, from his purchase of the school in 1996, until its sale to the Christy family in Indianapolis in 2011. Kruse graduated from the School of Education at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

in 1970, and was a licensed teacher in Indiana from 1970 to 1975. He currently serves on the board of trustees at

Trine University Trine University is a private university in Angola, Indiana. It was founded in 1884 and offers degrees in the arts and sciences, business, education, and engineering. Trine University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. History T ...

Angola, Indiana Angola is a city in Pleasant Township, Steuben County, Indiana, United States. The population was 8,612 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Steuben County. Angola was founded by Thomas Gale and Cornelius Gilmore on June 28, 18 ...

. He is a past president of the Indiana Auctioneer's Association, and a member of their hall of fame. Kruse was president of the

National Auctioneers Association The National Auctioneers Association (NAA), founded in 1949, is an advocacy group representing auctioneers, auction An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then sel ...

from 2005 to 2006, and was instrumental in advocating for industry research for the auction profession. In 2013, Kruse was inducted into the National Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame.

Political career

Kruse was an Indiana State Representative from 1989 to 2004. Originally, he was appointed to the 1st district after the death of incumbent State Representative Orville H. Moody. In 1992, after

redistricting Redistribution (re-districting in the United States and in the Philippines) is the process by which electoral districts are added, removed, or otherwise changed. Redistribution is a form of boundary delimitation that changes electoral distri ...

, Kruse was reelected into the 51st district. He was succeeded by Ron Tabaczynski in the 1st district in 1992. Kruse succeeded Vanessa Summers in the 51st district. He was succeeded by Richard Dodge in the State House. Since 2004, Kruse has been a member of the

for the 14th District. He was appointed to the seat after the death of Charles "Bud" Meeks. Kruse is a

creationist Creationism is the religious belief that nature, and aspects such as the universe, Earth, life, and humans, originated with supernatural acts of divine creation. Gunn 2004, p. 9, "The ''Concise Oxford Dictionary'' says that creationism is 'th ...

and in 2012 proposed legislation to allow the teaching of "

creation science Creation science or scientific creationism is a pseudoscientific form of Young Earth creationism which claims to offer scientific arguments for certain literalist and inerrantist interpretations of the Bible. It is often presented without ove ...

" to be taught in Indiana schools,Mounting opposition to Indiana's creationist bill

National Center for Science Education The National Center for Science Education (NCSE) is a not-for-profit membership organization in the United States whose stated mission is to educate the press and the public on the scientific and educational aspects of controversies surrounding ...

(January 23, 2012).Chris Sikich
Indiana lawmakers consider some laws that are just plain puzzling
''Indianapolis Star'' (January 22, 2012). The

strongly opposed the bill, noting that it would violate the

Establishment Clause In United States law, the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, together with that Amendment's Free Exercise Clause, form the constitutional right of freedom of religion. The relevant constitutional text ...

of the First Amendment and the Supreme Court's ruling in '' Edwards v. Aguillard''. Kruse said: "I believe in creationism, and it's worthy of being taught equally with evolution theory. . . . Just because there are constitutional concerns doesn't mean you don't try to get something done you believe in." Kruse also introduced a bill during the 2013 session to allow school districts to mandate the recitation of the

Lord's Prayer The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...

at the beginning of the day in Indiana public schools.State Sen. Dennis Kruse Pushes For Mandatory Recitation Of Lord’s Prayer In Indiana Public Schools
''Huff Post'' (January 4, 2013). Legal experts and the state Senate's legal committee stated that the proposal was unconstitutional. In 2018, Kruse introduced legislation that would prohibit public schools from providing

sex education Sex education, also known as sexual education, sexuality education or sex ed, is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including emotional relations and responsibilities, human sexual anatomy, sexual activity, sexual reproduc ...

to students without a parent's prior written permission ("opt-in"). The legislation would have changed the existing practice in may public schools, in which parents can exclude their children from sex education classes through an "opt-out" note. The legislation was backed by

social conservative Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social instituti ...

s and passed the state Senate, but Kruse's controversial proposal was removed in the state House version of the legislation. Kruse served three years as chairman of the Senate Pensions and Labor Committee, then became chairman of the influential Senate Committee on Education and Career Development from 2009-2018, resigning that position at the onset of his wife’s health issues. He was known as a champion of community college and received an honorary degree from Ivy Tech Community College in 2016, at the time, the nation's largest, singly-accredited community college. Kruse announced he would not seek re-election in 2022 and would instead retire. Republican Tyler Johnson, a physician at Parkview DeKalb Hospital in Auburn, was

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...

to succeed Kruse to his Senate seat.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kruse, Dennis 1946 births 21st-century American politicians American auctioneers Indiana University alumni Republican Party Indiana state senators Living people Republican Party members of the Indiana House of Representatives People from Auburn, Indiana Trine University people