Thomas Knotts: Death And Everything To Know About The Ex-Mayor

Thomas Knotts is also known as Thomas Elwood Knotts. He was the initial mayor of the city of Gary, Indiana. He served from the year 1909 to the year 1913. This article will provide you with the necessary information about Thomas Knotts, his personal life, and more, read on.

Thomas Knotts: Bio Summary

Who Is Thomas Knotts?

Thomas Knotts is the first mayor of the city of Gary, Indiana. He celebrates his birthday once every year on 4 May. He was born in the year 1861, in Highland County, Ohio, United States. Thomas served as the mayor of the city of Gary, Indiana from 1909 to 1913.

Knotts is a former head of the Gary town board, serving from the year 1906 to the year 1909. He was Gary’s first postmaster. Thomas and his brother, Armanis F. Knotts were heavily involved in the development of the city of Gary, Indiana. Before he took the administration of Gary, he served as Superintendent of the Indian Schools in South Dakota during the presidency of Grover Cleveland.

Knotts moved to Hammond in 1891, where he combined local entrepreneurship with various positions in the Hammond police department. 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 is a Democrat and a longtime supporter of organized labor. He was a leading member of the “town forces” in a struggle against US Steel for political control of the city. He was defeated in the 1913 election by the company-backed Republican candidate, Roswell Johnson.

Thomas Knotts Early Life And Education

Thomas Knotts is from Highland County, Ohio. Much is unknown about his early life but according to sources, his father is Francis D Knotts and his mother is 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. In 1870, his mother, Margaret (Bell) Knotts died, and his father, Francis D Knotts married a woman named Jennie Yates. Knotts has a brother called, Armanis Knotts, an early mayor of Hammond, Indiana.

Thomas’ brother, Armanis Knotts was a politician, lawyer, and a member of the Indiana House of Representatives and was also instrumental in the of both Gary, Indiana, and Yankeetown, Florida. Thomas Knotts is a graduate of Valparaiso University.

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Thomas Knotts Personal Life

Thomas Knotts was a married man. He was married to Ella E Long Knotts per sources. They were the parents of Frank Adlai Knotts born on 26 Nov 1892, in Hammond, Lake County, Indiana, USA, Benjamin Knotts born in 1899, and John William Knotts born on 13 Jul 1901, in Hammond, Lake County, Indiana, USA.

What Happened To Thomas Knotts?

Thomas Knotts died on March 26, 1921, in Rochester, Minnesota, United States. According to reports, he died following surgery. He passed away at the age of 59. He was interred in Oak Hill Cemetery, Gary, Lake, Indiana, United States.

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