Armanis F. Knotts (c. 1860-October 3, 1937), also called A.F. Knotts , was an American politician and lawyer. He was a member of the Indiana House of Representatives and was instrumental in the foundings of both Gary, Indiana and Yankeetown, Florida .
10-523: Knotts is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Armanis F. Knotts ( c. 1860–1937), American politician and lawyer Don Knotts (1924–2006), American comedic actor Gary Knotts (born 1977), American baseball player Howard Knotts , American flying ace during World War I Jake Knotts (born 1944), American politician Ricky Knotts (1951–1980), American ASA and NASCAR driver See also [ edit ] United States v. Knotts ,
20-569: A 1983 United States Supreme Court case Knott's (disambiguation) Knott (disambiguation) [REDACTED] Surname list This page lists people with the surname Knotts . If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name (s) to the link. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Knotts&oldid=1106023887 " Category : Surnames Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description
30-702: Is different from Wikidata All set index articles Armanis F. Knotts Knotts was born in Highland County, Ohio on either February 29, 1860 or January 29, 1856 to Frank D. and Margaret (Bell) Knotts. His father was a farmer and carpenter from Pennsylvania, and his mother, a native of Ohio, was the daughter of an early Irish settler of Ohio. In 1868, the Knotts family moved to Indiana, settling in Medaryville in Pulaski County where he grew up working on
40-780: The Indiana House of Representatives in 1898 as the joint representative of Lake and Jasper counties. As a legislator, he ensured the passage of the Circuit Court bill, which elevated the Superior Court of Hammond to the same level as the Circuit Court, and provided for the building of a new Superior Court House in Hammond. He served one term and then was elected mayor of Hammond from 1902 to 1904. While serving as mayor, he worked on bringing new industries into Hammond. Armanis and his brother, Thomas Knotts , were also heavily involved in
50-681: The Gary town board from 1906 to 1909. He was also Gary's first postmaster. His business ventures included the Gary Evening Post , later merged into the Gary Post-Tribune , and the Gary Trust & Savings Bank, both of which he founded in 1909. Knotts was born in Highland County, Ohio , in 1861, and subsequently graduated from Valparaiso University . He was the brother of Armanis Knotts , an early mayor of Hammond, Indiana . Prior to taking up
60-548: The administration of Gary, he served as Superintendent of the Indian Schools in South Dakota during the presidency of Grover Cleveland , moving to Hammond in 1891, where he combined local entrepreneurship with various positions in the Hammond police department. A Democrat and longtime supporter of organized labor , Knotts became a leading member of the "town forces" in a struggle against US Steel for political control of
70-592: The development of the city of Gary, Indiana . In 1905, the United States Steel Corporation decided to open a new plant in the Midwest, and chose the current site of Gary for its location. They hired Armanis to act as their lawyer, and he worked to purchase the land for the mill, acting surreptitiously so as not to drive up prices. Soon afterwards the Gary Land Company was set up in order to lay out
80-413: The family farm and attending first the local district schools and then Valparaiso University . In 1870, his mother died, and his father married a woman named Jennie Yates. In 1884, Knotts married Mary Hennessey. In the lates 1880s, after spending several years teaching, Knotts enrolled in a law course at Valparaiso. During his studies, he was elected to be the county surveyor of Porter County . He held
90-410: The office for eighteen months, from 1887 until 1888, then resigned after graduating from the law course. In 1888, he moved to Hammond, Indiana , where he set up a law practice. He quickly became involved in local politics, and was a strong supporter of the idea of giving Hammond a harbor on Wolf Lake to connect with Lake Michigan, earning the nickname "Harbor Knotts" for his zeal. He was elected to
100-504: The town and supervise its construction, with Knotts as its manager. In 1923, Knotts moved to Florida and founded the town of Yankeetown . In 1975, Armanis's nephew Eugene Knotts opened the A. F. Knotts Library in Yankeetown, Florida in honor of his uncle. Thomas Knotts Thomas Elwood Knotts (1861–1921) was the first mayor of the city of Gary, Indiana , serving from 1909 to 1913, after having previously served as head of
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