John Reily Knox
Encyclopedia
John Reily Knox was an American attorney who was the principal founder of Beta Theta Pi
Fraternity at Miami University
in 1839.
He was born on a farm between Millville, Ohio
and Venice, Ohio and graduated from Miami University "first rank in his class" and president of the Union Literary Society. In Beta Theta Pi, he is known as "Pater
" in acknowledgment of his role in the origin and design of the fraternity.
He taught school in Mississippi, 1841–42 and was admitted to the bar and practiced at Greenville, Ohio
, 1843–52; Dayton, Ohio
, 1852–56; and Greenville again 1856-98. He was a partner in Greenville law firm of Knox, Martz and Rupe. A Whig
until formation of Republican Party
, he was an Ohio Presidential Elector in 1860 and cast his vote for Abraham Lincoln
. He was the president of Greenville Law Library, president of Darke County, Ohio
Bar Association, vestryman of St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church and a member of the Miami University Board of Trustees, 1869-98.
He is buried in Greenville Cemetery, Greenville, Ohio
.
Other founders of Beta Theta Pi
:
Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi , often just called Beta, is a social collegiate fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA, where it is part of the Miami Triad which includes Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi. It has over 138 active chapters and colonies in the United States and Canada...
Fraternity at Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
in 1839.
He was born on a farm between Millville, Ohio
Millville, Ohio
Millville is a village in Butler County, Ohio, United States. The population was 817 at the 2000 census. It was established in 1815 by Joseph Van Horn, who opened a grist mill there in 1805...
and Venice, Ohio and graduated from Miami University "first rank in his class" and president of the Union Literary Society. In Beta Theta Pi, he is known as "Pater
Pater
Pater may refer to:*the Latin for "father"*a title given to a father deity** Dis Pater, a Roman and Celtic god of the underworld, later subsumed by Pluto or Jupiter** God the Father in Christianity*a title or honorific applied to a male community leader...
" in acknowledgment of his role in the origin and design of the fraternity.
He taught school in Mississippi, 1841–42 and was admitted to the bar and practiced at Greenville, Ohio
Greenville, Ohio
Greenville is a city in Darke County, Ohio, United States. The population was 13,227 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Darke County.-History:Greenville is the historic location of Fort Greene Ville,Greenville is a city in Darke County, Ohio, United States. The population was 13,227 at...
, 1843–52; Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, 1852–56; and Greenville again 1856-98. He was a partner in Greenville law firm of Knox, Martz and Rupe. A Whig
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
until formation of Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, he was an Ohio Presidential Elector in 1860 and cast his vote for Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. He was the president of Greenville Law Library, president of Darke County, Ohio
Darke County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 53,309 people, 20,419 households, and 14,905 families residing in the county. The population density was 89 people per square mile . There were 21,583 housing units at an average density of 36 per square mile...
Bar Association, vestryman of St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church and a member of the Miami University Board of Trustees, 1869-98.
He is buried in Greenville Cemetery, Greenville, Ohio
Greenville, Ohio
Greenville is a city in Darke County, Ohio, United States. The population was 13,227 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Darke County.-History:Greenville is the historic location of Fort Greene Ville,Greenville is a city in Darke County, Ohio, United States. The population was 13,227 at...
.
Other founders of Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi , often just called Beta, is a social collegiate fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA, where it is part of the Miami Triad which includes Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi. It has over 138 active chapters and colonies in the United States and Canada...
:
- Samuel Taylor MarshallSamuel Taylor MarshallSamuel Taylor Marshall was one of eight founders of Beta Theta Pi, a college fraternity founded at Miami University in 1839. It was the first college fraternity founded west of the Allegheny Mountains. Marshall was a lawyer in Lee County, Iowa and served as the sergeant-at-arms of the Iowa...
1840 - David LintonDavid LintonDavid Linton was one of eight founders of Beta Theta Pi, a prominent college fraternity founded at Miami University in 1839. He made a career as a lawyer in Wilmington, Clinton County, Ohio, and finally Linn County, Kansas where he was a probate judge . Also, a State Senator for Ohio before he...
1839 - James George SmithJames George SmithJames George Smith was one of eight founders of Beta Theta Pi, a prominent college fraternity founded at Miami University in 1839. He was never in good health and after graduating from Miami University in 1840, he became a farmer in Powhatan County, Virginia and died on September 16, 1849 from...
1840 - Charles Henry HardinCharles Henry HardinCharles Henry Hardin was one of the eight founders of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. Born in 1820 in Trimble County, Kentucky, he graduated from Miami University in 1840 and received his LL.D. from William Jewell College in 1890. He later became the 22nd Governor of Missouri between 1875 and 1877 and...
1841 - John Holt DuncanJohn Holt DuncanJohn Holt Duncan was one of eight founders of Beta Theta Pi, a prominent college fraternity founded at Miami University in 1839 and was its first president. He made a career in law as a lawyer and judge in Houston & Bexar County, Texas. He served as a Confederate Artillery Captain in the 31st...
1840 - Michael Clarkson RyanMichael Clarkson RyanMichael Clarkson Ryan an American attorney who was one of eight founders of Beta Theta Pi, a prominent college fraternity founded at Miami University in 1839. he was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and his family moved to Hamilton, Ohio in 1832. He received his A.B. degree from Miami in 1839 and...
1839 - Thomas Boston GordonThomas Boston GordonThomas Boston Gordon made a career as a lawyer and county judge for Bath County, Kentucky. He was a civil war captain for the Confederate States of America under Johnson's Brigade. He was one of the eight founding members of the Beta Theta Pi national fraternity at Miami University on August 8,...
1840