John Shively Knight (October 26, 1894 – June 16, 1981) was an American newspaper publisher and editor.

He was born in Bluefield, West Virginia to Charles Landon Knight and Clara Scheifley. He attended Cornell University but never graduated, leaving early to enlist in the Army. While at Cornell he was a member of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. However, he later received the degree of "War Alumnus." In 1920 he started at his father's newspaper, The Beacon-Journal, as sportswriter, and moved up to managing editor before inheriting the paper in 1933. Beginning a nationwide expansion, Knight bought the Miami Herald in 1937. His portfolio included fifteen newspapers by 1973. A year later he merged his company with Ridder Publications to form Knight-Ridder Newspapers Inc.

His nationwide column, "The Editor's Notebook", won him the 1968 Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing.

In 1969 Knight received the Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award as well as an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Colby College.

He co-founded what would become the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation with his brother James L. Knight.

Knight died of a heart attack in Akron, Ohio.

References

• Carmody, Deirdre. (June 17, 1981). "A Writer and a Businessman". The New York Times, p. 5.
• John S. Knight biography via University of Akron
• Whited, Charles. Knight: A Publisher in the Tumultuous Century. E P Dutton 1st edition December 1, 1988. ISBN 0-525-24723-8

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 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 is a large convocation located in downtown Akron, Ohio.

External links

• Photo