Charles Landon Knight (June 18, 1867 – September 26, 1933) was an American lawyer and newspaper publisher who represented Ohio in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from 1921-1923. His sons built his newspaper business into what would become

Knight Ridder Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. Until it was bought by McClatchy on June 27, 2006, it was the second largest newspaper publisher in the United States, with 32 daily newspaper brand ...

Early life

Born near

Milledgeville, Georgia Milledgeville is a city in and the county seat of Baldwin County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is northeast of Macon and bordered on the east by the Oconee River. The rapid current of the river here made this an attractive location to buil ...

, "C.L." graduated from

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

in 1889 and from

Columbia University Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Columbia University, a Private university, private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestig ...

in 1890. He was admitted to the bar in 1892 and commenced practice at

Bluefield, West Virginia Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 9,658 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Bluefield WV- VA micropolitan area, which had a population of 106,363 in 2020. Geography Bluefie ...

Journalism and politics

Knight joined the ''

Philadelphia Times ''The Times'' was a daily newspaper published from March 13, 1875, to August 11, 1902, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The paper was founded by Alexander McClure and Frank McLaughlin as an independent voice against party machine politics and corrup ...

'' in 1896 and remained until 1900. In 1903, Knight purchased the ''

Akron Beacon Journal The ''Akron Beacon Journal'' is a morning newspaper in Akron, Ohio, United States. Owned by Gannett, it is the sole daily newspaper in Akron and is distributed throughout Northeast Ohio. The paper's coverage focuses on local news. The Beacon J ...

'' in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...

. According to his obituary in ''The New York Times'', "Mr. Knight was well known for his opposition to the Taft nomination in 1912, the election of Woodrow Wilson, America's entry into the World War, the country's proposed membership in the League of Nations and prohibition." He was a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

from Ohio in 1916 and 1924. He was the Representative from Ohio 14th District, from 1921 to 1923. In 1922, Knight ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Ohio.

Legacy

Knight died in 1933 and is buried in Akron, Ohio.Staff report (September 27, 1933). C. L. Knight Dies, 66; Long a Publisher; Well Known as Militant Editor of the Akron Beacon-Journal. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' His son,

John S. Knight John Shively Knight (October 26, 1894 – June 16, 1981) was an American newspaper publisher and editor based in Akron, Ohio. Early life and education Knight was born in Bluefield, West Virginia, to Charles Landon Knight and Clara Irene Shivel ...

inherited the ''Beacon Journal'' in 1933; with his brother

James L. Knight James Landon Knight (July 21, 1909 – February 5, 1991) was an American newspaper publisher and co-founder of the Knight Ridder group of newspapers. He was also co-founder of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation with his brother John S. ...

, the two expanded their media holdings significantly. To honor the memory of their father, the brothers established the Knight Memorial Education Fund in 1940 to provide financial aid to college students from the Akron area. The fund existed until December 1950 when its assets of $9,047 were transferred to the newly created Knight Foundation.

John S. and James L. Knight Foundation The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, also known as the Knight Foundation, is an American non-profit foundation that provides grants for journalism, communities, and the arts. The organization was founded as the Knight Memorial Education ...

, "dedicated to promotion of journalistic causes".

Family

Knight married Clara Irene Shively of

Shenandoah, Pennsylvania Shenandoah is a borough in Schuylkill County in the Coal Region of Pennsylvania. It is distinct from Shenandoah Heights, which is part of West Mahanoy Township immediately to the north. As of 2021, the borough's population was 4,247. Shenando ...

on November 22, 1893. They had two sons,

John Shively Knight John Shively Knight (October 26, 1894 – June 16, 1981) was an American newspaper publisher and editor based in Akron, Ohio. Early life and education Knight was born in Bluefield, West Virginia, to Charles Landon Knight and Clara Irene Shively. ...

and James Landon Knight.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Charles Landon Politicians from Akron, Ohio 1867 births 1933 deaths Vanderbilt University alumni Columbia Law School alumni Knight family (newspapermen) Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio