James Wallace Knowles III (born July 20, 1979) is an American politician who served as the 11th Mayor of the city of Ferguson, Missouri, from April 2011 to June 2020.[3][4]
James W. Knowles III | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 11th Mayor of Ferguson | |
| In office April 11, 2011 – June 17, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Brian Fletcher |
| Succeeded by | Ella Jones |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 20, 1979 Ferguson, Missouri, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican[1][2] |
| Spouse | Lisa |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Truman State University (BA) University of Missouri–St. Louis (MPP) |
Early life and education edit
Knowles received bachelor's degrees in political science and criminal justice from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri in 2002.[4] He graduated from the University of Missouri–St. Louis in 2008 with a master's degree in public policy administration.[5][6]
Career edit
Knowles is a former chairman of the Missouri Young Republicans.[5] Knowles was a staff member for former Missouri state Senator and Democrat Ted House.[7] He is a former employee of the Ferguson Police Department, serving nearly four years in the department's communications division.[8][citation needed]
Knowles served on the Ferguson city council prior to becoming mayor.[3] Knowles was elected mayor in the nonpartisan election on April 5, 2011, winning 49% of the vote.[3] He defeated two challengers, Pearce Neikirk, a realtor, and former Ferguson mayor Steve Wegert.[3] Voter turnout for the April 2014 mayoral election was extremely low at just 12 percent.[3] Knowles publicly expressed disappointment with the low voter turnout at an April 2014 city council meeting.[9]
Mayor of Ferguson edit
Knowles became the youngest mayor in Ferguson's history when he took office at the age of 31.[4] He was also believed to be one of youngest mayors in Missouri at the time.[3] Knowles has defended the Ferguson Police Department in the aftermath of the shooting of Michael Brown in August 2014. He denied that Ferguson had a history of racism in an interview with MSNBC in 2014.[10] An effort to recall Knowles was filed with the city on March 13, 2015.[11] Knowles was re-elected mayor on April 4, 2017, with 57% of the vote.
Knowles was unable to run for re-election in 2020 due to term limits. He was succeeded by Ella Jones, the first black mayor of Ferguson in the city's history.[12]
Electoral history edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | James W. Knowles, III | 2,133 | 57.23 | |
| Nonpartisan | Ella Jones | 1,594 | 42.77 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | James W. Knowles, III | 1,314 | 100 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | James W. Knowles, III | 1,111 | 49.18 | |
| Nonpartisan | Pearce Neikirk | 600 | 26.56 | |
| Nonpartisan | Steven Wegert | 548 | 24.26 | |
References edit
- ^ Eligon, John (April 5, 2017). "Ferguson Re-Elects White Mayor 2 Years After Mike Brown Incident". The New York Times.
- ^ "Ferguson Mayor James Knowles III Runs For Third Term". Fortune.com.
- ^ a b c d e f Howard, Shannon (2014-04-06). "Election Day brings new leadership to NoCo". North St. Louis County Online. Archived from the original on 2014-08-20. Retrieved 2014-08-19.
- ^ a b c "Department of Political Science, Summer 2011 newsletter" (PDF). Truman State University Department of Political Science. 2011. Retrieved 2014-08-19.
- ^ a b Hurtt, Rob (2009-07-12). "Six degrees of 30 under 30". St. Louis Business Journal. Retrieved 2014-08-19.
- ^ Natalie DiBlasio (August 19, 2014). "Who is Ferguson Mayor James Knowles?". USA Today. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
- ^ Jason Rosenbaum (September 16, 2014). "Ferguson Mayor Says He Overcame Obstacles To Become Mayor". St. Louis Public Radio. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
Knowles – who worked as an aide to former Democratic state Sen. Ted House – said being in the state legislature is a "totally different ballgame from coming home every night and somebody calling you non-stop."
- ^ "Ferguson, MO - Official Website". December 25, 2010. Archived from the original on December 25, 2010.
- ^ Vega, Tanzina (2014-08-14). "Deep Tensions Rise to Surface After Ferguson Shooting". New York Times. Retrieved 2014-08-19.
- ^ Clark, Elizabeth (2014-08-14). "Ferguson Mayor Defends Police Reaction to Michael Brown Protests". NBC News. Retrieved 2014-08-19.
- ^ Deere, Stephen (2015-03-17). "Ferguson Mayor James Knowles faces recall effort". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 2015-03-21.
- ^ "Ferguson's first black mayor to be sworn in Tuesday night". AP NEWS. 2020-06-16. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
- ^ "St. Louis County, Missouri". Archived from the original on 2017-04-05.
- ^ "St. Louis County, Missouri". Archived from the original on 2014-07-06.
- ^ "St. Louis County, Missouri". Archived from the original on 2011-04-10.