James Wallace Knowles III (born July 20, 1979) is an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

who served as the 11th Mayor of the city of

Ferguson, Missouri Ferguson is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. It is part of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area. Per the 2020 census, the population was 18,527. History What is now the city of Ferguson was founded in 1855, when William B ...

, from April 2011 to June 2020.

Early life and education

Knowles received

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

s in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

and

criminal justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the Rehabilitation (penology), rehabilitation of o ...

from

Truman State University Truman State University (TSU or Truman) is a public university in Kirksville, Missouri. It had 4,225 enrolled students in the fall of 2021 pursuing degrees in 52 undergraduate and 11 graduate programs. The university is named for U.S. Presiden ...

Kirksville, Missouri Kirksville is the county seat and most populous city in Adair County, Missouri. Located in Benton Township, its population was 17,530 at the 2020 census. Kirksville is home to two colleges: Truman State University and A.T. Still University. ...

in 2002. He graduated from the

University of Missouri–St. Louis The University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL) is a public research university in St. Louis, Missouri. Established in 1963, it is one of four universities in the University of Missouri System and its newest. Located on the former grounds of Bel ...

in 2008 with a master's degree in public policy administration.

Career

Knowles is a former chairman of the Missouri Young Republicans. Knowles was a staff member for former

Missouri state Senator The Missouri Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 174,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two yea ...

and

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Ted House. He is a former employee of the Ferguson Police Department, serving nearly four years in the department's communications division. Knowles served on the Ferguson

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

prior to becoming mayor. Knowles was elected mayor in the

nonpartisan Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party. While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers sp ...

election on April 5, 2011, winning 49% of the vote. He defeated two challengers, Pearce Neikirk, a

realtor A real estate agent or real estate broker is a person who represents sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and agen ...

, and former Ferguson mayor Steve Wegert.

Voter turnout In political science, voter turnout is the participation rate (often defined as those who cast a ballot) of a given election. This can be the percentage of registered voters, eligible voters, or all voting-age people. According to Stanford Unive ...

for the April 2014 mayoral election was extremely low at just 12 percent. Knowles publicly expressed disappointment with the low voter turnout at an April 2014 city council meeting.

Mayor of Ferguson

Knowles became the youngest mayor in Ferguson's history when he took office at the age of 31. He was also believed to be one of youngest mayors in Missouri at the time. Knowles has defended the Ferguson Police Department in the aftermath of the

shooting of Michael Brown On August 9, 2014, 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. Brown was accompanied by his 22-year-old male friend Dorian Johnson, who later stated that Brow ...

in August 2014. He denied that Ferguson had a history of racism in an interview with

MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...

in 2014. An effort to recall Knowles was filed with the city on March 13, 2015. Knowles was re-elected mayor on April 4, 2017 with 57% of the vote. Knowles was unable to run for re-election in 2020 due to term limits. He was succeeded by

Ella Jones Ella Jones is an American chromatographer, pastor, and politician who serves as the 12th mayor of Ferguson, Missouri. A former member of the Ferguson City Council, Jones is the first African-American and woman elected mayor of the city. Educa ...

, the first black mayor of Ferguson in the city's history.

Electoral history

References

External links

City of Ferguson website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knowles, James Living people 1979 births Missouri city council members Missouri Republicans Truman State University alumni People from St. Louis County, Missouri University of Missouri–St. Louis alumni

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Mayors of places in Missouri