J. T. Knott

Joseph Thomas "J.T." Knott Jr. (born April 16, 1926) is an American politician, farmer, businessman, and retired non-commissioned military officer. He served in the 94th Infantry Division of the United States Army during World War II and was awarded the Purple Heart. A Democrat, Knott served as a member of the Wake County Board of Commissioners from 1970 to 1982.

Early life and family Knott was born on April 16, 1926 outside of Zebulon in Wake County, North Carolina. His parents, Joseph Thomas Knott Sr. and Ethel Lenora Robertson Knott, owned a 100-acre farm where they grew tobacco, corn, and wheat. 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. 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.

A member of the Democratic Party, He was the only commissioner to openly oppose the passage of a school bond proposal. In 1984, he volunteered on the senatorial campaign for the Republican candidate Jesse Helms. Knott also served on the advisory council for Knightdale Elementary School and Vaiden Whitley High School.

In September 2019, Knott presented a program titled Remembrances of WWII: A Veteran’s Perspective at the Wake Forest Historical Museum for the General James Moore Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution as part of the chapter's celebrations for Constitution Week.