Harry Knight

Henry Arthur Knight (29 August 1860 – 3 October 1935) was a New Zealand sheep farmer, racehorse owner, and local politician. He was the first student and the third director of the Canterbury Agricultural College. Knight was born in 1860; his parents were Richard and Lucy Knight. He received his secondary education at Christ's College in Christchurch. When the School of Agriculture of Canterbury University College opened at Lincoln on 19 July 1880, Knight was the first student to enrol. He graduated in 1882 with a Diploma of Agriculture. In 1887, he married Beatrice Dicken, the daughter of Thomas Dicken. They were to have three daughters. One of his daughters was the mother of the painter Austen Deans. In 1899, Knight was elected to the Board of Governors of his alma mater, by then called the Canterbury Agricultural College, and he remained a member until his death. He was chairman of the board from 1915 until 1926. He lost the chairmanship when the Canterbury members of the House of Representatives had a tie when they elected their representative in December 1926. The returning officer gave his casting vote to Knight's opponent, George Murray, and Knight temporarily lost his position on the board. In 1930, Knight was the inaugural Bledisloe Medal recipient.