Charles Knight ( 1808 – 3 September 1891) was a New Zealand doctor, public servant and botanist. He was born in Rye, Sussex, England in 1808. He studied medicine at University College, London from 1828 until 1830. In 1840 he became a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland and a Fellow in 1869. Between 1830 and 1840 Knight worked as a doctor and spent time in America.

Administrative career

In 1841 he sailed to Australia as ship's surgeon on the ''Lord Glenelg''. After arrival, he was employed by the Governor of South Australia,

George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Go ...

as a clerk. Knight moved with Grey when the latter was appointed Governor of New Zealand. In February 1846 Knight was appointed as the country's inaugural

auditor-general A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior-level execut ...

and in 1855 became manager of the Colonial Bank of Issue and then auditor of public accounts and chaired many official commissions into subjects as diverse as flax production,

meteorology Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did no ...

and civil servant employment conditions. He later re-organised the postal banking system. In New Zealand, Knight first lived in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

and when the government moved to

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

, he also relocated to the new capital in 1865.

Botany

Knight was a keen botanist and his main interest was

lichens A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.Joseph Hooker Joseph Hooker (November 13, 1814 – October 31, 1879) was an American Civil War general for the Union, chiefly remembered for his decisive defeat by Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863. Hooker had serv ...

Director of the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew for over 30 years. He also contributed specimens and drawings to the collections there and in other countries as well as in New Zealand. In addition, he organised New Zealand government funding for Hooker to write the ''Handbook of the New Zealand flora'' published in 1864. During 1868 and 1869 Knight was in Britain with Grey, and was able to spend time with the botanists and lichen collections at Kew. He was elected a fellow of the

Linnean Society of London The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature colle ...

in 1857. He joined the

Wellington Philosophical Society Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by met ...

in 1869 and was president in 1873 and 1874. He was a member of the board of governors of the New Zealand Institute from 1870 to 1872 and in 1875.

Personal life

Knight married Caroline Symes in 1844 when he was living in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

. They had two sons and three daughters together. He died at his home in Wellington and is buried at

Bolton Street Memorial Park Bolton Street Memorial Park, formerly known as Bolton Street Cemetery, is the oldest cemetery in Wellington, New Zealand. Dating back to 1840, many notable people are buried here. Situated in the suburb of Thorndon, the Wellington City Council's ...

Legacy

Knight's extensive personal collection of specimens is in Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa although he also contributed to around 20 other

herbaria A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study. The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sheet of paper (called ...

in other countries.

References

1808 births 1891 deaths 19th-century New Zealand medical doctors 19th-century New Zealand botanists People from Rye, East Sussex New Zealand public servants English emigrants to New Zealand Burials at Bolton Street Cemetery {{NewZealand-med-bio-stub