| Ridgway B. Knight | |
| United States Ambassador to Portugal | |
| Term Start: | July 30, 1969 |
| Term End: | February 24, 1973 |
| Predecessor: | W. Tapley Bennett Jr. |
| Successor: | Stuart Nash Scott |
| President: | Richard Nixon |
| Order2: | 44th |
| Title2: | United States Ambassador to Belgium |
| Term Start2: | June 24, 1965 |
| Term End2: | April 16, 1969 |
| Predecessor2: | Douglas MacArthur II |
| Successor2: | John Eisenhower |
| President2: | Lyndon B. Johnson Richard Nixon |
| Title3: | United States Ambassador to Syria |
| Term Start3: | January 11, 1962 |
| Term End3: | May 27, 1965 |
| Successor3: | Hugh H. Smythe |
| President3: | John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Birthname: | Ridgway Brewster Knight |
| Birth Date: | 12 June 1911 |
| Birth Place: | Paris, France |
| Death Place: | Inxent, France |
| Profession: | Diplomat |
Ridgway Brewster Knight (June 12, 1911 – August 14, 2001) was a French-born American diplomat who served as Ambassador to Syria (1961–1965), Belgium (1965–1969) and Portugal (1969–1973).[1] [2]
The son of American parents living in Paris (painter Louis Aston Knight and Caroline Ridgeway Brewster), he attended the University of Paris as well as Harvard University.[3] He graduated from Harvard Business School in 1931.[4]
Following his studies, Knight began importing French wine to the US. He also served as a Major in the US Army from 1943-1945.
Knight joined the State Department in 1941. He was vice consul in Casablanca, and in 1942 took part in organizing the US landing in Algeria.[5] Knight served as U.S. ambassador to several countries, and later served as president of the American Club of Paris (1984–1989).[4] From 1973 to 1981, he worked for Chase Manhattan Bank .
Knight married Christine Saint-Léger at Inxent on February 19, 1983. His grandson, Ridgway B. Knight 3rd, married Patricia Wachtell on May 30, 1987.[6] He died in Inxent, at the age of 90.[1]