Harley E. Knox
| Harley E. Knox | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 25th Mayor of San Diego | |
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In office May 3, 1943 – May 7, 1951 |
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| Preceded by | Howard B. Bard |
| Succeeded by | John D. Butler |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 26, 1899 Nebraska |
| Died |
September 13, 1956 (aged 57) San Diego, California |
| Political party | Independent |
Harley Eugene Knox (January 26, 1899 – September 13, 1956) was an independent American politician from California.
Born in 1899 in Nebraska, Knox came to San Diego with his parents in 1912. He dropped out of San Diego High School while a junior, and served briefly in the Army. He later graduated from the San Diego Normal School, which is now San Diego State University.
In 1919, he became a dairyman in southeastern San Diego when he bought his first cow. The same year, he married his next-door neighbor, Bessie, and they had three daughters.
Knox was first elected to city council in 1939, unopposed, and served until 1943. He was mayor of San Diego from 1943 until 1951. During his first mayoral campaign, on learning his opponent had raised $30,000 to defeat him, he commented: "If it was worth all that money for someone to make you mayor, I don't think they were preparing to buy good government."
While mayor, Knox was active in creating new public works projects for the city, such as expanding water and sewage facilities. He traveled frequently to Washington to lobby for federal aid. After World War II, San Diego faced a housing shortage, as did many U.S. cities. He came up with the novel idea of reusing surplus building material at the Army's Camp Callan (on the site now occupied by the University of California, San Diego) to build 1500 homes.
Knox also had a hand in expanding Lindbergh Field. To allow for an expanded airport, the city bought land for Montgomery Field and gained a 50-year lease for Naval Air Station Miramar. Unfortunately, the City Council terminated the Miramar lease a year after Knox left office and sold part of Montgomery Field for use by General Dynamics to manufacture missiles. Knox criticized his successors for being shortsighted.
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