Douglas Knight
| Douglas Maitland Knight | |
|---|---|
 |
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| President of Duke University | |
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In office January 1, 1964 – June 30, 1969 |
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| Preceded by | Julian Deryl Hart |
| Succeeded by | Terry Sanford |
| President of Lawrence College | |
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In office 1954–1963 |
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| Preceded by | Nathan M. Pusey |
| Succeeded by | Curtis William Tarr |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
June 8, 1921 Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Died | January 23, 2005 (aged 83) Doylestown, Pennsylvania |
| Alma mater | Yale University |
Douglas Maitland Knight (June 8, 1921 – January 23, 2005) was an American educator, businessman, and author. He was a former professor of literature at Yale University prior to his presidency at Lawrence College from 1954 to 1963. Stemming from his work at Lawrence College was his subsequent term as president of Duke University, where he served until he resigned in 1969 following student protests and the takeover of the university's main administrative building by students calling for a black cultural center and African-American studies program, among other things. Controversy over these issues led to his transition into the business world at RCA and Questar Corporation. Knight never fully retired, and was known to consult for Questar's Board of Trustees years after his departure.
Douglas Maitland Knight was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He attended Yale University in 1938 and earned all three of his degrees in English there: his B.A. in 1942, his M.A. in 1944, and finally his Ph.D. in 1946. After completing his doctoral studies, Knight remained at Yale undertaking research and would eventually make tenure. Knight was particularly interested in Alexander Pope, the great 18th-century poet and translator of Homer. Knight studied Pope's use of the heroic couplet and his translations of Homer's Illiad and Odyssey. In one work, Knight compared Pope to Homer and found that Pope was more a student of Homer's than he was a mere translator. Dr. Knight also received 12 honorary degrees from colleges and universities throughout the country, including degrees from both of his former homes, Lawrence College and Duke University, as well as institutions such as Knox College and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
In 1954, 32-year-old Knight was chosen to succeed Dr. Nathan M. Pusey as the President of Lawrence College. At the time, Knight was the youngest college president in the nation. For the next nine years, Knight would leave his Midas touch all over Lawrence College’s 48-acre campus, eventually attracting the attention of Duke University’s nationwide search for a new president. During Knight’s office, Lawrence saw a 100% increase in the book value of the physical plant and a 150% increase in the value of the endowment. Faculty salaries were doubled and the curricular structure was revolutionized to create a "three-term, three-course plan." Knight impacted Lawrence College in a hugely positive way during his stay there, but would go on to experience more controversial success at Duke University.
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