John Lowden Knight (November 2, 1915 – July 21, 2001) was a professor, university administrator, and a Methodist theologian. He was President of
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Nebraska Wesleyan University (NWU) is a private Methodist-affiliated university in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was founded in 1887 by Nebraska Methodists. As of 2017, it has approximately 2,100 students including 1,500 full-time students and 300 ...
,
Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...
; the fourth president of
Baldwin-Wallace College
Baldwin Wallace University (BW) is a private university in Berea, Ohio. It was founded in 1845 as Baldwin Institute by Methodist businessman John Baldwin. The school merged with nearby German Wallace College in 1913 to become Baldwin-Wallace C ...
,
Berea, Ohio
Berea ( ) is a city in Cuyahoga County in the U.S. state of Ohio and is a western suburb of Cleveland. The population was 19,093 at the 2010 census. Berea is home to Baldwin Wallace University, as well as the training facility for the Cleveland ...
; and the eighth president of the
Wesley Theological Seminary
Wesley Theological Seminary is a United Methodist Church seminary in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1882.
History
Wesley Theological Seminary can trace its roots back to the 1881 meeting of the Methodist Protestant Church's Maryland Annua ...
, in Washington, D.C..
Education
Knight was born in
Beverly, New Jersey
Beverly is a city in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 2,577,''Who's who in the Midwest'' p. 477. A.N. Marquis, 1960. Accessed June 13, 2012. "KNIGHT, John Lowden, clergyman; b. Beverly, NJ, Nov. 2, 1915" He graduated the public schools of Beverly and Burlington City in 1933. He received full tuition to
Drew University
Drew University is a private university in Madison, New Jersey. Drew has been nicknamed the "University in the Forest" because of its wooded campus. As of fall 2020, more than 2,200 students were pursuing degrees at the university's three sch ...
, where he majored in Biblical Literature, graduating cum laude in 1939. He then attended
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...
, where he earned his A.M in 1941 and his S.T.B. (M.Div) in 1942. World War II prevented Knight from studying overseas, so he began graduate studies at
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 ...
Divinity School, earning his M.A. He was prepared to enter the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...
School of Divinity for his PhD, but opted for his first academic appointment at
Willamette University
Willamette University is a private liberal arts college with locations in Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United States. Originally named the Oregon Institute, the school was an unaffiliated ...
.
Early career
Faculty shortages at Willamette offered Knight the chance to become a college chaplain at a young age. He moved up quickly at Willamette, as he was named Assistant to the President following successes in planning the
Annual Conference
A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic.
Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main pu ...
of the
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...
. He also served as a professor, teaching courses in Bible History, and in 1946, summer courses at the
Iliff School of Theology
Iliff School of Theology is a graduate Methodist theological school in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1892, the school's campus is adjacent to the University of Denver. Fewer than 200 students attend the school.
Iliff is one of thirteen United ...
in Denver.
College administrator
Knight served three years as President of the
Nebraska Wesleyan University
Nebraska Wesleyan University (NWU) is a private Methodist-affiliated university in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was founded in 1887 by Nebraska Methodists. As of 2017, it has approximately 2,100 students including 1,500 full-time students and 300 ...
in
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincol ...
. Knight's time at Nebraska showed marked growth and development of the institution. He became president of
Baldwin-Wallace College
Baldwin Wallace University (BW) is a private university in Berea, Ohio. It was founded in 1845 as Baldwin Institute by Methodist businessman John Baldwin. The school merged with nearby German Wallace College in 1913 to become Baldwin-Wallace C ...
in
Berea, Ohio
Berea ( ) is a city in Cuyahoga County in the U.S. state of Ohio and is a western suburb of Cleveland. The population was 19,093 at the 2010 census. Berea is home to Baldwin Wallace University, as well as the training facility for the Cleveland ...
in 1949.
Ministry
* In 1954, Knight became the senior pastor of the Trinity Methodist Church of Columbus, Ohio. Following his seven years at Trinity, he moved to assume the responsibilities of senior pastor of the First United Methodist Church of Syracuse, New York.
Return to academia
Knight became the president of the
Wesley Theological Seminary
Wesley Theological Seminary is a United Methodist Church seminary in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1882.
History
Wesley Theological Seminary can trace its roots back to the 1881 meeting of the Methodist Protestant Church's Maryland Annua ...
in Washington, D.C. in 1967. He served the seminary for fifteen years as president.
References
Sources
*"John Lowden Knight" "Brief Autobiographies and Reflections of the Retired Professors of Wesley Theological Seminary", et al. 1990, by John Lowden Knight.