Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 06.djvu/303

 KNIGHT

KN'IGHT

descendant of Giles Knight, a Quaker, who came with William Penn from Gloucester, England, in the Welcome and settled in Brljerry, near Phil- adelphia, Pa., in 16te3. He became a clerk in a store at Kaighn's Point, S.J., in 1S31, and in 1836 removed to Philadelphia, Pa., where with his mother as partner he conducted a grocery bus- iness, subsequently known as E. C. Knight & Co. He was part owner of the schooner Balti- more and engaged in the importation of coffee and other products of the "West Indies, and in 1S46 ex- tended liis trade to California, where he owned and equipped the first steamer that navigated the Sacramento river above Sacramento city. He also imported molasses and sugar from Cuba, wliich he refined. He was president of the Bound Brook railroad. 1S74-92, of the Central Railroad of New Jersey, 1S76-80, and of the North Pennsylvania railroad for twenty years. As chairman of the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Railroad company he was influen- tial in securing the .American Steamship line from Philadelphia, and was elected president of the line. He is credited with having originated the sleeping car, and he organized a company to build cars from his designs and later sold the right to the Pullman Palace Car company. He was presidential elector on the Lincoln and Hamlin ticket in 1>6<J and a member of the Penn- sylvania constitutional convention in 1S73. He was president of the Bi-Centennial association in 1S82 and active in promoting the celebration of the founding of Pennsylvania by William Penn. In the civil war he equipped two full regiments from New Jersey at his own expense. He die-l at Cape May. N. J.. July -31. 1S92.

KNIQHT, Edward Henry, editor, was born in London, England. June 1, 1S"24. He was educated at a Friends" school, and studied surgery and the art of steel engraving. He came to the United States in iS-lo and the following year settled in Cincinnati. Ohio, where he was a patent attorney, 1S46-53. He was a farmer in Iowa, 1853-63; assisted in preparing the reports of the U.S. patent office in Washington, D.C.. 1S63: was surgeon for the Christian commission, 1S63-65: organized the Official Gazette of the U.S. patent- office in 1871: was a member of the international juries of the world's fairs at Philadelphia, Pa. (1876), Paris (1S78), and Atlanta. Ga, (1881), and was also a U.S. commissioner to the Paris ex- position in 1878. where he'received the decoration of chevalier of the Legion of Honor, for his serv- ices to the French government. He was a mem- ber of various scientific societies in the United States and Europe and received the degree of LL.D. from Iowa Wesleyan university in 1876. He edited the Reports of the Paris Exposition, to which he contributed the articles on " Agricul-

tural Implements " and " Clocks and Watches "; compiled A Library of Poetry and Song (1S70); and published: American Jlechanical Dictionary (3 vols., 1872); Xeic Jlecftanical Dictionary with Indexical References to TecJmical Journals (1684). He died in Belief ontaine, Ohio, Jan. 22, 1883.

K.MQHT, George Wells, educator, was born in Ann Arbor, Mich., Juce 2-5. 18->8: son of John- son Wells and Cornelia (^Hebbard^ Knight; grandson of Elisha and Electa ^Johnson) Knight, and of Dr. Jeptha and JIary (Johnson> Hebbard, and a descendant of Samuel Knight, of Plainfield, Conn.. (1716); also of Governor WiUiam Brad- ford of Plymouth colony. He was graduated at the Ann Arbor high school in 1874 and at the University of Michigan. A.B., 1878. A.M.. 1883, Ph.D.. 1884. He was a law student at the univer- sity, 1878-79; principal of the high school. Lans- ing. Mich., 1879-81; teacher of history at Ann Arbor high school, 1883-85; professor of history and English liierattire in the Ohio State univer- sity, 188-5-87, professor of history and political science, 1887-98, and professor of American his- tory and political science, 1898. He was literary editor of the Fortnightly Index. Madison, Wis., 1882-83, and spent the season of 1889-9<j in study in Europe. He was elected a member of the American Historical association and of the Amer- ican Economic association, of which latter he was vice-president in ] 895, and was chairman of the editorial board of the Ohio Archceological and Historical Quarterly, 1887—89. He is the author of: Land Grants for Education in the Xorthtcest Territory (1885); Government of the People of the State of Ohio (1895); History of Education in Ohio, jointly with J. R. Commons (18^1), and articles on the History of Land Grants for Com- mon Schools in Michigan (1885): Hi*tory of Educational Progress in 0/iio(1888); 77(€ Buck- eye Centennial (1883); Higher Education in the Xorthtcest Territory (1888); The State and the Private College (1895); Ttie Growth of the CoUege Idea in Ohio (1897): and also edited, with crit- ical and supplementary notes. Guizots General History of Civilization in Europe (1896).

KNIQHT, Jonathan, surgeon, was born in Nor- walk. Conn.. Sept. 4, 1789: son of Jonathan Ejiight. a surgeon in the Revolutionary army, and a practising physician in Norwalk for nearly half a century. He was graduated from Yale, A.B.. 1808. A.M., 1811. He taught school in Norwalk and New London. Conn.. 1808-10: was a tutor at Yale. 1810-11: attended medical lec- tures at the University of Pennsylvania. 1811-13, and was a pupil of Dr. Rush, having been chosen by the Medical society of Connecticut and cor- poration of Yale college to be associated in the work of commencing and carrying on a system of medical instrucuon with Dr. Nathan Smith,