Bio of McKNIGHT, Sumner T. (b.1836), Hennepin Co., MN
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EXTRACTED FROM: History of Minneapolis, Gateway to the Northwest; 
Chicago-Minneapolis, The S J Clarke Publishing Co, 1923; Edited by: Rev. 
Marion Daniel Shutter, D.D., LL.D.; Volume I - Shutter (Historical); 
volume II - Biographical; volume III - Biographical
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Vol III, pg 569-570
Vol I, pg 333 photo
SUMNER T. McKNIGHT
No man had a more just claim upon the esteem, respect and honor of fellow
townsmen than did S. T. McKnight of Minneapolis, for many years most actively
and extensively engaged in the lumber business, while later he devoted his
attention to real estate activity in Minneapolis and was the builder of the
first modern office building of the city. While a man of broad vision, his plans
were at all times practical and met every demand of present-day conditions. So
largely did Mr. McKnight contribute to the substantial development and
upbuilding of this section of the country that his death was most deeply
deplored by hundreds who had been his associates in commercial enterprises, or
had watched with keen interest the part which he played in promoting the real
upbuilding of this section of the country.
Sumner T. McKnight was born April 2, 1836, at Truxton, New York, and his early
years were passed in that city and in Homer, New York, where he attended the
public schools. No higher educational opportunities were accorded him but in the
school of experience he became a most apt and thorough pupil, constantly
broadening his knowledge and promoting his efficiency as he learned the lessons
of life. He was twenty years of age when he became identified with the lumber
business in Wausau, Wisconsin, and eagerly availing himself of every opportunity
for advancement, he eventually established the firm of S. T. McKnight & Company
at Hannibal, Missouri. He was always watchful for further chances for the
expansion and growth of his business interests and in 1871 he was one of the
organizers of the Northwestern Lumber Company, which was incorporated at Eau
Claire, Wisconsin, and of which he became treasurer, continuing in that position
from the inception of the company until 1898, when he was elected to the
presidency and so served until 1902. In the meantime the extent and importance
of his operations had drawn him into prominence in the lumber trade circles of
the country and in 1901 he was elected president of the Mississippi Valley
Lumbermen's Association, serving as its chief executive officer for two years.
In other fields, too, his labors were wisely and profitably directed. He had
been a leading factor in the development of the white pine lumber industry, saw
it rise to its highest point and then enter upon its inevitable decline because
of the exhaustion of the supply. When one avenue of opportunity seemed closed,
however, Mr. McKnight sought out other fields of labor and therein successfully
directed his efforts. Long before he had withdrawn from active connection with
the lumber industry he had become a prominent figure in financial circles and
from 1895 until 1901 was vice president of the Flour City National Bank. In the
latter year he became a director of the Security Bank and at the time of his
death he was president of the S. T. McKnight Company, which built the McKnight
building, one of the lasting monuments of concrete and steel that stand in
recognition of his activities. When this skyscraper was completed it marked a
new era in construction work. It was paid for in cash the day it was turned over
to the owner by the contractor and it has been a center of Minneapolis business
activities since its doors were first opened, various leading business firms of
the city being here located. Comparatively few men have had such broad practical
inclusive and extensive experience in the business world as Mr. McKnight, who
during the later years of his life made large investments in Minneapolis real
estate and was regarded as one of the most sagacious and conservative men in the
city.
On the 30th of September, 1868, Mr. McKnight was married to Miss Eugenia M.
Manville of Ripon, Wisconsin, and they became the parents of three children:
Mrs. Harriet Crosby, Mrs. Carolyn Christian and a son, Sumner T. McKnight, who
continues the business of his father and also is the vice president of the First
National Bank of this city and president of the S. T. McKnight Building Company.
He was born in 1885 and is a graduate of Yale University. He served as a captain
in the World war and was mentioned as a possible candidate for the appointment
to the position of assistant secretary of the treasury. He is a member of state
legislature (1923). He belongs to the various prominent clubs of the city, is
married and makes his home at No. 2200 Park avenue. He is thus sustaining the
enviable reputation associated with the name of McKnight in Minneapolis, where
for many years his honored father directed operations that constituted most
force­ful elements in the city's material growth and expansion. His life history
indicates that the sources of our power lie within ourselves and looking at him
through the perspective of the years, one notes how he stands out as a man among
men in his day and generation, occupying a central place on the stage of action
almost from the time that his initial effort was made in the field of business.