Felix Harrison Knight (December 10, 1876 – October 13, 1952) was an American labor union leader. Born in Montgomery County, Missouri, Knight worked for the St. Louis Street Railway, and joined the

Amalgamated Association of Street, Electric Railway and Motor Coach Employees The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) is a labor organization in the United States and Canada that represents employees in the public transit industry. Established in 1892 as the Amalgamated Association of Street Railway Employees of America, the un ...

. He later moved to work on the

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illin ...

, and in 1902 he joined the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen. Knight quickly came to prominence in the Carmen's union; in the same year he joined, he was elected as financial secretary and chair and chair of his local board; and in 1903, as a delegate to the St. Louis Central Trades and Labor Union. In 1913, he was appointed as assistant general president of the carmen. From 1918 to 1920, he additionally served on the National Railroad Adjustment Board, and he was appointed again in 1934. In 1935, Knight became president of the Carmen. He was also elected to the executive of the

American Federation of Labor The American Federation of Labor (A.F. of L.) was a national federation of labor unions in the United States that continues today as the AFL-CIO. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions eager to provide mutu ...

's (AFL)

Railway Employes' Department The Railway Employes' Department (RED) was a semi-autonomous department of the AFL–CIO. History The department was founded in 1908, as the Railroad Employes' Department, and was chartered by the American Federation of Labor in February 1909. In ...

, and in 1936, as a vice-president of the AFL. In that role, he worked on disputes with the

Congress of Industrial Organizations The Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. Originally created in 1935 as a committee within the American Federation of ...

, and in 1939, he was the AFL delegate to the British Trades Union Congress. In 1946, Knight was appointed to an AFL committee investigating the labor movement in Argentina. He retired from his union posts in 1947, and died five years later.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Felix H. 1876 births 1952 deaths American trade union leaders People from Montgomery County, Missouri Trade unionists from Missouri Vice presidents of the American Federation of Labor