Benjamin Knight (politician)

Benjamin Knight 'Jr.' was an American politician and physician in Santa Cruz, California. He served in the California State Senate for the 6th district from 1883 to 1887.

Life and career

Benjamin Knight Jr. was born on October 16, 1836, in Mansfield, Connecticut. He was a descendant of Maturin Murray Ballou, a collaborator of Roger Williams the founder of Rhode Island. His father, Benjamin Knight Sr., was a machinist. He was raised in Rhode Island, and attended Providence Conference Seminary at East Greenwich.
During the American Civil War, he joined Company I, 1st Massachusetts Cavalry Regiment of the Union Army, and served twenty-one months, where he became a corporal.
Knight graduated from Harvard Medical School on March 1868. The focus of his study was in female hysteria.
On April 4, 1869, he married Lydia A. Killey of Johnston, Rhode Island; together they had four children, three daughters and one son. Shortly after marriage the family moved to Santa Cruz, California, where his father had travelled to during the California gold rush in 1850.
For 14 years, Knight worked as the Santa Cruz County physician. He served on the Democratic ticket in the California State Senate from 1883 to 1887.

Death and legacy

Knight died on June 2, 1905, in his home in Santa Cruz, California.
His son, Benjamin Killey Knight, served as the Santa Cruz County District Attorney, and later as a Superior Court Judge. His grandson Benjamin Bliss Knight also served as Santa Cruz County District Attorney.