| Joe McKnight | |
| State Senate: | Tennessee |
| District: | 27th |
| Term Start: | 1987 |
| Term End: | 1995 |
| Successor: | Bobby Carter |
| Birth Date: | December 4, 1933 |
| Birth Place: | Jackson, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Alma Mater: | Memphis State University University of Tennessee-Martin |
Joe "Nip" McKnight (December 4, 1933 – February 20, 2023) was an American politician who represented Tennessee's 27th district in the state senate from 1987–1995.
McKnight grew up in Bemis, Tennessee, a company town run by the Bemis Company that merged into the city of Jackson in 1977. His father, a former college basketball player at University of Tennessee-Martin, taught McKnight the game at a young age. He continued playing throughout high school and college, first for Memphis State University before transferring to UT-Martin, where McKnight broke his father's scoring record. After graduation, McKnight taught at South Side High School in Jackson for two years. He was then hired by Martin-Marietta Ammunition of Milan and served as the company's production superintendent for sixteen years.[1]
McKnight served as Madison County commissioner for eight years prior to winning the 1986 state senate election.[1] He defeated Bobby Carter in the tight 1990 election,[2] but lost to Carter four years later.
McKnight married Sandra Maddox in 1960.[1] [3]
McKnight died on February 20, 2023.[4]