Benjamin Knight
Born
Benjamin Brayton Knight

(1813-10-03)October 3, 1813
Cranston, Rhode Island
DiedJune 4, 1898(1898-06-04) (aged 84)
Providence, Rhode Island
Burial placeSwan Point Cemetery
Spouses
Alice W. Collins
​
​
(m. 1842; died 1850)​
    Phebe A. Slocum
    ​
    (m. 1851)​
    Children5
    Parents
    • Stephen Knight
    • Weltham Brayton
    Relatives
    • Sophia Amelia (sister)
    • Jeremiah (brother)
    • Mary Briggs (sister)
    • Anna (sister)
    • Elizabeth (sister)
    • Robert (brother)
    • Stephen Albert (brother)
    • Dexter Newton (brother)
    Signature

    Benjamin Brayton Knight (1813–1898) was a New England industrialist and philanthropist, who was a partner with his brother Robert Knight in the B. B. & R. Knight Company and was one of the largest textile manufacturers in the world when he died in 1898. Knight co-founded the large and famous brand, Fruit of the Loom.

    Biography

    He was born in Cranston, Rhode Island, on October 3, 1813, to Stephen Knight and Weltham Brayton.[1] Knight worked on the family farm until he was 18 and went to work at Sprague Print Works in Cranston, but eventually returned to farming. In 1835, he opened a general grocery store near the print works.

    In 1838, he moved to Providence, and founded Winsor, Knight & Company, a grocery business, with Onley Winsor and L. E. Bowen and eventually his brother, Jeremiah Knight, and the firm became B. B. Knight & Co. Knight later partnered with D. T. Penniman as Penniman, Knight & Company in the flour and grain trade in the Amasa Mason Block on Dyer street Providence, Rhode Island. After buying out Penniman, Knight continued alone for about four years until 1849 when he sold his grocery business to Jeremiah. In 1852 Knight sold half of his flour and grain interest to Robert Knight, another brother. He then purchased from Robert a one-half interest in the Pontiac Mill and Bleachery, and the firm of B. B. and R. Knight was formed. The brothers later began to focus solely on the textile manufacturing. The company became the largest textile manufacturer in the world.

    Benjamin Knight also served as in several political offices, including as a member of the General Assembly and city alderman. Knight also became involved in various banking and insurance companies.[2]

    He married Alice W. Collins in 1842, and they had three children. She died on February 8, 1850, and he remarried to Phebe A. Slocum in December 1851. They had two children.[1]

    Benjamin Knight died in Providence on June 4, 1898.[3] He was buried at Swan Point Cemetery.

    See also

    References

    1. 1 2 The Biographical Cyclopedia of Representative Men of Rhode Island. National Biographical Publishing Co. 1881. pp. 405–406. Retrieved March 12, 2023 – via Google Books.
    2. ↑ History of Providence County, Vol I & II Ed. by Richard M. Bayles; W.W. Preston; Co., NY. Biographical sketches Volume 1 "City of Providence"
    3. ↑ "Benjamin B. Knight". Fall River Daily Globe. June 6, 1898. p. 6. Retrieved March 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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