| Jabez Comstock Knight | |
| Order: | 8th |
| Term Start: | June 6, 1859 |
| Term End: | June 5, 1864 |
| Predecessor: | William M. Rodman |
| Successor: | Thomas A. Doyle |
| Birth Date: | 31 July 1815 |
| Birth Place: | Centerville, Rhode Island |
| Resting Place: | Swan Point Cemetery |
| Office: | Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island |
| Party: | Republican |
| Known For: | Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island |
| Residence: | Providence, Rhode Island, Newport, Rhode Island (summers) |
Jabez Comstock Knight (July 31, 1815 – April 6, 1900) was mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, for five terms, 1859-1864.
Knight was born in Centerville, Rhode Island. His family moved to Providence in 1830, when he was 15. He was employed by cotton merchants Orray Taft & Co.
He became Paymaster General for Rhode Island for 24 years, and was on the board of trustees of the Providence Reform School He was a trustee of Butler Hospital for 35 years. Knight was a member of the Providence Common Council, representing the Fourth Ward, 1849-1852. He was elected to the Providence Board of Aldermen for the Sixth Ward, 1854-1858.[1]
In May 1859 Knight ran for mayor against a Democratic opponent. He won 1,835 votes to 1,100. He then ran four more times unopposed, then declined nomination for a sixth term.[1]
As Mayor, Knight demolished the Town House on Benefit Street that served as police station, and opened a new Central Police Station on Canal Street in April 1861. Knight introduced horse-drawn streetcars in Providence in 1863.[1]
Knight served as mayor during the Civil War. During this time Providence industries provided uniforms, blankets, biscuits, rifles, and tools to the Union war effort.[1]
Knight married Catherine A. Taft on September 28, 1842, and had three daughters.
In the 1880s, Ex-Mayor Knight spent his summers at a cottage in Newport, Rhode Island, on Bellevue Avenue.[2] [3] [4]
Knight died on April 6, 1904, and is buried at Swan Point Cemetery.