Surgeon Rear-Admiral In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

Charles Joseph Knight (September 11, 1931 – September 1, 2023) was a Canadian admiral who was the 30th Surgeon General of Canada.

Life

Born in Dawn Township,

Lambton, Ontario Dawn-Euphemia is a township in southwestern Ontario, Canada, in Lambton County. Residents primarily are employed by the agricultural industry, or by local industries such as Union Gas distribution centre, along with various smaller agricultural ma ...

, Knight was educated at the University of Western Ontario, where he graduated with his Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1953 and his Medical Degree in 1957. He also completed post-graduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania from 1966 to 1968. Knight joined the military during his undergraduate studies in 1950 with the Armoured Corps, and transferred into the Medical Corps in 1956 while attending medical school. His first posting was to Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Naden in 1957. Knight was next posted from 1963 to 1966 to HMCS Shearwater. He was then posted to the Institute of Aviation Medicine, in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, with the diving team. Knight left for a brief period of time to return to university, and then upon completion, resumed his duties at the institute in 1970. In 1971, Knight was posted to Air Defence Headquarters as Commanding Surgeon; remaining in the position until 1975, when he was sent on a six-month tour with the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

to Egypt. Upon returning to Canada in 1976, Knight was posted to Maritime Command Headquarters, in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

as Deputy Command Surgeon. Shortly after arriving in Halifax, he was transferred to Air Command Winnipeg as Command Surgeon, and remained in the position until 1979, when he was posted to Ottawa to work on the staff of the Surgeon General as Director of Medical Operations and Training. From 1982 to 1985, Knight was posted to the National Defence Medical Centre (NDMC) as Commandant. In 1985, he was appointed Deputy Surgeon General and in 1988 was appointed Surgeon General. He remained in the position until his retirement from the military in 1990. Knight died on September 1, 2023, at the age of 91.

References

1931 births 2023 deaths Canadian admirals Canadian military personnel from Ontario Surgeons General of Canada {{Canada-mil-bio-stub