William Grills Knight (23 January 1839 – 3 May 1903) was a prominent businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Albany in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.
Knight was born 23 January 1839 [1] in Fremantle, Western Australia to Stephen Henry Knight, a postmaster who had arrived on Parmelia in 1829 as one of the first settlers. The family moved to Albany the following year. [2]
He married Ann Augusta McKail and together they had four children. [3] In 1865 Knight was working as a farmer and grazier at Woodlands, a farm owned by John McKail, in the Porongurups. [1]
The Rocks, an iconic building in Albany, was built by Grills in 1882 as his residence. The building, now used as an exclusive hotel, is heritage listed. [4] [5]
First elected in 1876 Knight then served as chairman from 1877 to 1879. [2] Knight remained on the council [6] and was elected as Mayor of Albany in 1886. [7]
While Mayor, Knight raised the required capital to build the Albany Town Hall in 1886, [8] which he later opened in 1888. [9] By 1889 Lancel Victor de Hamel was elected Mayor, [10] with Knight remaining on the council [11] until his re-election as Mayor in 1897. [12] He remained as Mayor until 1899 when C. M. McKenzie was elected to the position. [13]
In 1896, Knight and his son started a shipping and station agents business in Albany. [14]
Knight died in Albany on 4 May 1903 and was buried at Memorial Park Cemetery. [15]