Jonathan Knight (railroader)
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Knight was an Opposition Party member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
. He was also a civil engineer, active in designing railroads.
. He moved with his parents to East Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania
, in 1801. He attended the common schools and became a civil engineer
. He was appointed by the state in 1816 to make and report on a map of Washington County, Pennsylvania
. He was elected county commissioner and served three years.
and the National Road
between Cumberland, Maryland
, and Wheeling, Virginia
(now West Virginia
). He was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
from 1822 to 1828. He entered the service of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Company and visited England to pursue further studies in engineering. Upon his return in 1830, he was appointed chief engineer of the B&O and served until 1842. He also engaged in agricultural pursuits and was secretary of the first agricultural society organized in Washington County.
candidate to the Thirty-fourth
Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1856
, and for election in 1858
. He resumed agricultural pursuits near East Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and died there in 1858. Interment was in West Land Cemetery, near West Brownsville, Pennsylvania
.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. He was also a civil engineer, active in designing railroads.
Early life
Jonathan Knight was born in Bucks County, PennsylvaniaBucks County, Pennsylvania
- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...
. He moved with his parents to East Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania
East Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania
East Bethlehem Township is a township in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,524 at the 2000 census. The township contains the Frederickstown-Millsboro census-designated place.-Geography:...
, in 1801. He attended the common schools and became a civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
. He was appointed by the state in 1816 to make and report on a map of Washington County, Pennsylvania
Washington County, Pennsylvania
-Government and politics:As of November 2008, there are 152,534 registered voters in Washington County .* Democratic: 89,027 * Republican: 49,025 * Other Parties: 14,482...
. He was elected county commissioner and served three years.
Railroad work
Knight assisted in the preliminary surveys of the Chesapeake and Ohio CanalChesapeake and Ohio Canal
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal, and occasionally referred to as the "Grand Old Ditch," operated from 1831 until 1924 parallel to the Potomac River in Maryland from Cumberland, Maryland to Washington, D.C. The total length of the canal is about . The elevation change of...
and the National Road
National Road
The National Road or Cumberland Road was the first major improved highway in the United States to be built by the federal government. Construction began heading west in 1811 at Cumberland, Maryland, on the Potomac River. It crossed the Allegheny Mountains and southwestern Pennsylvania, reaching...
between Cumberland, Maryland
Cumberland, Maryland
Cumberland is a city in the far western, Appalachian portion of Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Allegany County, and the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 20,859, and the metropolitan area had a...
, and Wheeling, Virginia
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
(now West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
). He was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....
from 1822 to 1828. He entered the service of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
Company and visited England to pursue further studies in engineering. Upon his return in 1830, he was appointed chief engineer of the B&O and served until 1842. He also engaged in agricultural pursuits and was secretary of the first agricultural society organized in Washington County.
United States House of Representatives
Knight was elected as an Opposition PartyOpposition Party (United States)
The Opposition Party in the United States is a label with two different applications in Congressional history, as a majority party in Congress 1854-58, and as a Third Party in the South 1858-1860....
candidate to the Thirty-fourth
34th United States Congress
The Thirty-fourth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1855 to March 4, 1857, during the last two years...
Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1856
United States House election, 1856
The U.S. House election of 1856 returned a semblance of normality to the Democratic Party, as they retook a House majority and retained the presidency...
, and for election in 1858
United States House election, 1858
Following the U.S. House election of 1858, the Republicans gained control of the House for the first time, benefiting from the continued breakdown in the anti-immigration and anti-Catholic American Party of the Know Nothing Movement, and from strife within the Democratic Party.The Republicans were...
. He resumed agricultural pursuits near East Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and died there in 1858. Interment was in West Land Cemetery, near West Brownsville, Pennsylvania
West Brownsville, Pennsylvania
West Brownsville is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,075 at the 2000 census.-Geography:West Brownsville is located at ....
.