Jonathan Knight | |
|---|---|
 Baltimore and Ohio employee magazine photo of Jonathan Knight | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's20th district | |
| In office March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857 | |
| Preceded by | John L. Dawson |
| Succeeded by | William Montgomery |
| Member of thePennsylvania Senate for the20th district | |
| In office 1822-1828 | |
| Preceded by | Rees Hill |
| Succeeded by | Isaac Leet |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1787-11-22)November 22, 1787 |
| Died | November 22, 1858(1858-11-22) (aged 71) |
| Political party | Opposition |
| Occupation | Civil engineer |
Jonathan Knight (November 22, 1787 – November 22, 1858) was an American civil engineer and politician who served as anOpposition Party member of theU.S. House of Representatives forPennsylvania's 20th congressional district from 1855 to 1857. He also served as a member of thePennsylvania Senate for the20th district from 1822 to 1828. He was acivil engineer who worked on theNational Road and as the first chief engineer ofB&O Railroad.
Jonathan Knight was born inBucks County, Pennsylvania, the tenth child of Abel and Anna S. Knight. In 1801, he moved with his parents toEast Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania in Washington County.[1] He attended the common schools, worked as a teacher, and purchased a farm.[2] He also did survey work and practiced as acivil engineer. In 1816, Knight was appointed by the state to make and report on a map ofWashington County, Pennsylvania. He was elected county commissioner and served three years.[3][1]
Knight assisted in the preliminary surveys of theChesapeake and Ohio Canal[4] and theNational Road betweenCumberland, Maryland, andWheeling, Virginia (nowWest Virginia). In 1828, he entered the service of theBaltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) to help create an engineering staff for the new company.[5]: 14 Later that year the B&O sent him toEngland to study railroad engineering. Upon his return in 1830, he was appointed Chief Engineer of the B&O and served until 1842. He worked with Dr.William Howard, Lt. ColStephen H. Long[6] and led the design work of the B&OMain Line fromBaltimore, Maryland toHarpers Ferry, West Virginia, the oldestcommon carrier rail line in the United States. He also led the engineering work on the B&OWashington Branch between Baltimore andWashington, D.C.[5]: 18
Knight also engaged in agricultural pursuits and was secretary of the first agricultural society organized in Washington County.
Knight served as a member of the Pennsylvania Senate for the 20th district from 1822 to 1828.[3]
Knight was elected as anOpposition Party candidate to theThirty-fourth Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in1856, and for election in1858. He resumed agricultural pursuits near East Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and died there in 1858
Knightstown, Indiana, was named in his honor.[7]
| Pennsylvania State Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of thePennsylvania Senate,20th district 1822-1828 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromPennsylvania's 20th congressional district 1855–1857 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
