John Shively Knight (October 26, 1894 – June 16, 1981) was an American
newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...
publisher and editor based in
Akron, Ohio
Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...
.
Early life and education
Knight was born in
Bluefield, West Virginia
Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 9,658 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Bluefield WV- VA micropolitan area, which had a population of 106,363 in 2020.
Geography
Bluefie ...
, to
Charles Landon Knight
Charles Landon Knight (June 18, 1867 – September 26, 1933) was an American lawyer and newspaper publisher who represented Ohio in the United States House of Representatives from 1921-1923. His sons built his newspaper business into what would ...
and Clara Irene Shively. Known to his family and friends as "Jack," he attended
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
but never graduated, leaving early to enlist in the
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
. While at Cornell he was a member of the
Phi Sigma Kappa
Phi Sigma Kappa (), colloquially known as Phi Sig or PSK, is a men's social and academic fraternity with approximately 74 active chapters and provisional chapters in North America. Most of its first two dozen chapters were granted to schools in ...
fraternity. However, he later received the degree of "War Alumnus."
Career
In 1920 he started at his father's newspaper, ''
The Akron Beacon Journal
The ''Akron Beacon Journal'' is a morning newspaper in Akron, Ohio, United States. Owned by Gannett, it is the sole daily newspaper in Akron and is distributed throughout Northeast Ohio. The paper's coverage focuses on local news. The Beacon Jou ...
'', as sportswriter, and moved up to managing editor before inheriting the paper in 1933. In 1923, Knight served as the fourth president of the Akron Host Lions Club. Beginning a nationwide expansion, Knight bought the ''
Miami Herald
The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a List of communities in Miami-Dade County, Florida, city in western Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County and the M ...
'' in 1937. His national Knight Newspapers chain, headquartered in Akron, eventually also included the Philadelphia Inquirer, Chicago Daily News, Charlotte Observer, Tallahassee Democrat, Lexington Herald and Leader, and Macon Telegraph.
During the latter part of World War II, Knight took a leave from the newspaper business, serving as Director of the U.S.
Office of Censorship
The Office of Censorship was an emergency wartime agency set up by the United States federal government on December 19, 1941 to aid in the censorship of all communications coming into and going out of the United States, including its territories ...
, in London.
By 1973, his portfolio included fifteen newspapers. A year later, 1974, he merged his company with Ridder Publications to form
Knight-Ridder Newspapers Inc.
He co-founded what would become the
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, also known as the Knight Foundation, is an American non-profit foundation that provides grants for journalism, communities, and the arts.
The organization was founded as the Knight Memorial Education ...
with his brother
James L. Knight
James Landon Knight (July 21, 1909 – February 5, 1991) was an American newspaper publisher and co-founder of the Knight Ridder group of newspapers.
He was also co-founder of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation with his brother John S. ...
.
Honors and awards
* His nationwide column, "The Editor's Notebook," won him the 1968
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
for editorial writing.
* In 1969 Knight received the
Elijah Parish Lovejoy
Elijah Parish Lovejoy (November 9, 1802 – November 7, 1837) was an American Presbyterian minister, journalist, newspaper editor, and abolitionist. Following his murder by a mob, he became a martyr to the abolitionist cause opposing slavery ...
Award as well as an honorary
Doctor of Laws
A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL. ...
degree from
Colby College
Colby College is a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine. It was founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, then renamed Waterville College after the city where it resides. The donations of Christian philanthr ...
.
Personal life
John Knight lost first his wife, Katherine, and then two of three sons at early ages. Lieutenant John S. Knight, Jr. was
killed in action near
Münster
Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state distr ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
on March 29, 1945.
Youngest son Frank McLain Knight died at age thirty on March 9, 1958 following emergency brain surgery.
In retirement, John Knight devoted much of his time to the raising of
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...
race horses at his Fourth Estate Stable based in Miami.
Knight died of a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
in
Akron
Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...
.
Dedications
*The John S. Knight Auditorium is a large lecture hall in Leigh Hall, a building on the campus of the
University of Akron
The University of Akron is a public research university in Akron, Ohio. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advanced materials, and engineering. It is classified ...
.
*The John S. Knight Reading Room is located in Bierce Library, a building on the campus of the University of Akron.
*The
John S. Knight Center
The John S. Knight Center is a large convocation center located in Akron, Ohio, named after the newspaper publisher and editor John S. Knight
John Shively Knight (October 26, 1894 – June 16, 1981) was an American newspaper publisher and edito ...
is a large convention center in downtown Akron.
*The John S. Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines at
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
.
*The
John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships at Stanford
The John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships at Stanford is a paid 10-month journalism fellowship at Stanford University. It is one of 20 such programs available in the US for working journalists. It is connected to the School of Humanities and Scie ...
support journalists from around the world in exploring solutions to issues facing innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership in journalism, thanks to a $4 million grant from the
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, also known as the Knight Foundation, is an American non-profit foundation that provides grants for journalism, communities, and the arts.
The organization was founded as the Knight Memorial Education ...
in 1984.
John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships at Stanford.
Accessed November 21, 2017.
References
Further reading
* Carmody, Deirdre. (June 17, 1981). "A Writer and a Businessman". ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', p. 5.
John S. Knight biography
via University of Akron
The University of Akron is a public research university in Akron, Ohio. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advanced materials, and engineering. It is classified ...
* Whited, Charles. ''Knight: A Publisher in the Tumultuous Century''. E P Dutton 1st edition December 1, 1988.
* Hoyt, Clark
"John S. Knight – An Appreciation"
John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships at Stanford
The John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships at Stanford is a paid 10-month journalism fellowship at Stanford University. It is one of 20 such programs available in the US for working journalists. It is connected to the School of Humanities and Scie ...
, January 1, 2002. Via Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
.
External links
* Photo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, John S.
1894 births
1981 deaths
Military personnel from West Virginia
American military personnel of World War I
American newspaper editors
American newspaper chain founders
American racehorse owners and breeders
20th-century American newspaper publishers (people)
Cornell University alumni
Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award recipients
Journalists from West Virginia
Maria Moors Cabot Prize winners
Businesspeople from Akron, Ohio
People from Bluefield, West Virginia
Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing winners
Knight family (newspapermen)
20th-century American journalists
American male journalists