Henry Arthur Knight (29 August 1860 – 3 October 1935) was a New Zealand sheep farmer, racehorse owner, and local politician. He was the first student and the third director of the

Canterbury Agricultural College Lincoln University (Māori: ''Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki'') is a New Zealand university that was formed in 1990 when Lincoln College, Canterbury was made independent of the University of Canterbury. Founded in 1878, it is the oldest agricultur ...

. Knight was born in 1860; his parents were Richard and Lucy Knight. He received his secondary education at Christ's College in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

. When the School of Agriculture of Canterbury University College opened at Lincoln on 19 July 1880, Knight was the first student to enrol. He graduated in 1882 with a Diploma of Agriculture. In 1887, he married Beatrice Dicken, the daughter of Thomas Dicken. They were to have three daughters. One of his daughters was the mother of the painter

Austen Deans Alister Austen Deans (2 December 1915 – 18 October 2011) was a New Zealand painter, known for his Landscape painting, landscapes and for his work as a war artist in the Second World War. Born in Christchurch to a well-known farming family, ...

. In 1899, Knight was elected to the Board of Governors of his alma mater, by then called the Canterbury Agricultural College, and he remained a member until his death. He was chairman of the board from 1915 until 1926. He lost the chairmanship when the Canterbury members of the House of Representatives had a tie when they elected their representative in December 1926. The returning officer gave his casting vote to Knight's opponent, George Murray, and Knight temporarily lost his position on the board. In 1930, Knight was the inaugural Bledisloe Medal recipient. Knight had the Racecourse Hill property near Darfield from 1885. It was a large property and Knight grew the most wheat north of the

Rakaia River The Rakaia River is in the Canterbury Plains in New Zealand's South Island. The Rakaia River is one of the largest braided rivers in New Zealand. The Rakaia River has a mean flow of and a mean annual seven-day low flow of . In the 1850s, Euro ...

; up to of his land were in wheat. When his property was cut up in the late 1890, Knight started breeding race horses. He started having success after 15 years and from 1915 until his death, it is estimated that his horses have won him

NZ£ The pound (symbol £, £NZ. for distinction) was the currency of New Zealand from 1840 until 1967, when it was replaced by the New Zealand dollar. Like the pound sterling, it was subdivided into 20 shillings (abbreviation s or /) each of 12 pen ...

76,000. His horse Malaga won the

Auckland Cup The Auckland Cup is an annual race held by the Auckland Racing Club (ARC). It is an Open Handicap for thoroughbred racehorses competed on the flat turf over 3200 metres (two miles) at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand. The race was ...

in 1921, netting him NZ£3500. His mare Medley produced Ballymena and

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

, both very successful horses. Knight was chairman of the Malvern County Council from 1911. He was chairman of the New Zealand Refrigeration Company from 1912. He was a member of the Canterbury Jockey Club. Knight commissioned architect Cecil Wood to design a homestead for Racecourse Hill. The English Domestic Revival house was finished in 1912. Knight died at Racecourse Hill on 3 October 1935.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Harry 1860 births 1935 deaths Horse breeders People educated at Christ's College, Christchurch Lincoln University (New Zealand) alumni Chancellors of Lincoln University (New Zealand) Colony of New Zealand people 19th-century New Zealand farmers 20th-century New Zealand farmers