Who was William W. Knight?
William W. Knight, JD ’32, was a distinguished lawyer, legislator, and publisher who helped shape Oregon’s civic and journalistic landscape.
As an undergraduate at the University of Oregon, Knight served as managing editor of the Oregon Daily Emerald. He was active in debate clubs and is said to have helped pay his way through college with proceeds from debate and oratory competitions.
He later returned to attend Oregon Law, where he was elected president of the law school student body. These early experiences laid the foundation for a lifelong commitment to justice and public dialogue.
Following graduation from Oregon Law, Knight served as a deputy district attorney in Douglas County and later as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives. In 1953, he became publisher of The Oregon Journal, a major Portland daily, where he championed civic engagement, editorial independence, and public service journalism for nearly two decades.
Knight’s enduring influence is reflected not only in his own achievements but in the transformative legacy of his son, Phil Knight, BBA ’59, co-founder of Nike, Inc. In 1999, Phil and Penny Knight made a landmark $10 million gift to the University of Oregon School of Law to honor William’s memory and support the construction of a new, modern law center—more than double the size of the building it replaced.
US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor delivered the William W. Knight Law Center building dedication speech on September 15, 1999. Justice O’Connor encouraged the Oregon Law community to “focus on the broader moral and ethical implications of your work” and “make it the Law School’s commitment to reach the importance of fulfilling the responsibilities that come with membership in the profession, the importance of doing good while doing well.”
