Knott was born on April 16, 1926 outside of Zebulon in Wake County, North Carolina.[1] His parents, Joseph Thomas Knott Sr. and Ethel Lenora Robertson Knott, owned a 100-acre farm where they grew tobacco, corn, and wheat.[2] His father served as a member of the Wakelon High School Board.[3] When Knott was a teenager, his family left Zebulon and moved to Knightdale, where they purchased a 400-acre farm along U.S. Highway 64 that was originally owned by his maternal grandparents, George Everette Robertson and Lenora Catherine Weathers Robertson.[1] The family attended Knightdale Baptist Church.[3]
Career
After graduating from Wakelon High School in May of 1944, Knott registered for the United States Army on April 18, 1944. He served as a corporal in the 94th Infantry Division during World War II.[1] He operated a machine gun and was assigned to the front lines as a replacement soldier.[4] He was wounded in March 1945 while fighting near the Rhine River and was awarded the Purple Heart. After the war, Knott returned to Knightdale to operate his family's farm and general store.[4] He also owns the Wendell-Knightdale Airport.[5][6]
A member of the Democratic Party,[6] Knott served as a Wake County Commissioner for 12 years.[2] He was the only commissioner to openly oppose the passage of a school bond proposal.[7] In 1984, he volunteered on the senatorial campaign for the Republican candidate Jesse Helms.[8] Knott also served on the advisory council for Knightdale Elementary School and Vaiden Whitley High School.[6]
Personal life
Knott was married to Mary Faustine Pair, who died in 2013. They had three children: Joseph Thomas Knott III, Carolynn Faustine Knott, and Frances Knott. He is the grandfather of U.S. Congressman Brad Knott.[9]
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