Jonathan Knight (November 22, 1787 – November 22, 1858) was an American politician who served as an Opposition Party member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 20th congressional district from 1855 to 1857. He also served as a member of the Pennsylvania Senate for the 20th district from 1822 to 1828. He was a

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...

who worked on the

National Road The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the Federal Government of the United States, federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the road connected the Pot ...

and as the first chief engineer of B&O Railroad.

Early life

Jonathan Knight was born in

Bucks County, Pennsylvania Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English ...

, the tenth child of Abel and Anna S. Knight. In 1801, he moved with his parents to East Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania. He attended the common schools, worked as a teacher and purchased a farm. He continued to do survey work and became a civil engineer. He was appointed by the state in 1816 to make and report on a map of

Washington County, Pennsylvania Washington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 209,349. Its county seat is Washington. Washington County is part of the Pittsburgh, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county ...

. He was elected county commissioner and served three years.

Railroad career

Knight assisted in the preliminary surveys of the

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal and occasionally called the "Grand Old Ditch," operated from 1831 until 1924 along the Potomac River between Washington, D.C. and Cumberland, Maryland. It replaced the Potomac Canal, wh ...

and the

between

Cumberland, Maryland Cumberland is a U.S. city in and the county seat of Allegany County, Maryland. It is the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 19,076. Located on the Potomac River, ...

, and Wheeling, Virginia (now

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...

). In 1828 he entered the service of the

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

(B&O) to help create an engineering staff for the new company. Later that year the B&O sent him to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

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. Col Stephen H. Long and led the design work of the B&O Main Line from

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia. It is located in the lower Shenandoah Valley. The population was 285 at the 2020 census. Situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, where the U.S. stat ...

, the oldest common carrier rail line in the United States. He also led the engineering work on the B&O Washington Branch between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Knight also engaged in agricultural pursuits and was secretary of the first agricultural society organized in Washington County.

Political career

Knight served as a member of the Pennsylvania Senate for the 20th district from 1822 to 1828. Knight was elected as an Opposition Party candidate to the Thirty-fourth Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in

1856 Events January–March * January 8 – Borax deposits are discovered in large quantities by John Veatch in California. * January 23 – American paddle steamer SS ''Pacific'' leaves Liverpool (England) for a transatlantic voy ...

, and for election in

1858 Events January–March * January – **Benito Juárez (1806–1872) becomes Liberal President of Mexico. At the same time, conservatives install Félix María Zuloaga (1813–1898) as president. **William I of Prussia becomes regent f ...

. He resumed agricultural pursuits near East Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and died there in 1858. Interment was in Westland Cemetery in Centerville, Pennsylvania.

Legacy

Knightstown, Indiana Knightstown is a town in Wayne Township, Henry County, Indiana, adjacent to Rush County, along the Big Blue River. The population was 2,182 at the 2010 census. It is approximately thirty-two miles east of Indianapolis. Knightstown is famous f ...

was named in his honor.

Bibliography

*Knight, Jonathan. ''Report Upon the Locomotive Engines: And the Police and Management of Several of the Principal Rail Roads in the Northern and Middle States'', Being a Sequel to the Report... Upon Railway Structures. Lucas & Deaver., 1838.

Footnotes

Sources

* * ''The Political Graveyard'' (Lawrence Kestenbaum, Ann Arbor, MI
"Jonathan Knight"
Accessed 2013-03-17. , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Jonathan (railroader) 1787 births 1858 deaths 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American railroad executives American railroad pioneers Baltimore and Ohio Railroad people Burials in Pennsylvania County commissioners in Pennsylvania Engineers from Pennsylvania Opposition Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Pennsylvania state senators People from Bucks County, Pennsylvania People from Washington County, Pennsylvania American railway civil engineers