John James Knight (7 June 1863 – 24 November 1927) was an Australian journalist, newspaper editor and historian.

Biography

Knight was born at

Shelton Shelton may refer to: Places United Kingdom *Shelton, North Bedfordshire, in the parish of Dean and Shelton, Bedfordshire *Lower Shelton, in the parish of Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire *Upper Shelton, in the parish of Marston Moretaine, Bedfor ...

, Staffordshire, England, the son of James Knight, potter and printer, and his wife Louisa, ''née'' Blagg. Knight was taken to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

whilst young and at 11 years of age left school to work in the mechanical department of the ''Bruce Herald''. Six years later he returned to England and with partners started a paper with trades union sympathies. He married at an early age. In 1884 he went to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

and was employed in the printing department of the ''

Brisbane Courier ''The Courier-Mail'' is an Australian newspaper published in Brisbane. Owned by News Corp Australia, it is published daily from Monday to Saturday in tabloid format. Its editorial offices are located at Bowen Hills, in Brisbane's inner norther ...

''. He soon afterwards was transferred to the literary staff, became the paper's chief parliamentary representative, and in 1900 was made editor of the ''Observer'', an evening paper under the same management as the ''Courier''. In 1906 Knight was appointed editor of the ''Brisbane Courier'', in 1916 became managing director of Queensland Newspapers Ltd, and afterwards combined this office with that of chairman of directors for the remainder of his life. In 1918 he represented Queensland on the Imperial mission to the war fronts, and in 1920 visited Canada as a member of the Imperial press delegation. He was chairman of the Queensland section of the Imperial press delegation when a visit was made to Australia in 1925. Knight died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

at Brisbane on 24 November 1927. He left a widow and two daughters.

Works

Knight is noted as a writer on Australian history, especially that of Queensland. Among his works are: * ''In the Early Days'', an interesting account of the founding of Queensland * ''The Story of South Africa'', part author * ''Brisbane Past and Present and The True War Spirit'' *

Nehemiah Bartley Nemehiah Bartley (10 May 1830 – 10 July 1894) was an Australian merchant primarily active in the Colony of Queensland. He arrived in Australia from England at the age of 19, and also lived for periods in Tasmania, Victoria, and New South Wales ...

, ''Australian Pioneers and Reminiscences'', editor; this work was in an incomplete state at the time of the author's death

References

External links

Knight John James
– Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search * {{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, John James 1863 births 1927 deaths Australian journalists Australian newspaper editors Burials at Toowong Cemetery Deaths from pneumonia in Queensland