Pueblo County Biographies

Pueblo County, Colorado
GUY KNOX

Contributed by Karen Mitchell.

Guy Knox was born the same day Colorado entered statehood—August 1, 1876, in Topeka, Kansas; was educated in the public schools and Washburn College of that city and moved to Denver with his parents in 1894. He is directly descended from Major General Henry Knox of Revolutionary fame, who, by act of congress was appointed secretary of war in 1785. Members of the original Knox family in America were residents of Massachusetts, but at an early date one branch of the family moved to Maryland and built the town of Knoxville in historic old Frederick county, where Joseph Knox, grandfather of Guy Knox, was born. At a later date Joseph Knox came west, in the meantime having married Charlotte Selsom of Burkittsville, Frederick county, Maryland. To this union there was born in Circleville, Ohio, in 1851, a son, William Scott Knox, father of the subject of this sketch. In September, 1875, William Scott Knox then a resident of Kansas, married Sophronia Nelland and Guy Knox, their first child was born the following year. Later, two daughters were born. Fay Louise (Mrs. H. L. Willis), of Pueblo, now deceased; and Ada Charlotte, now Mrs. A. E. Lane, of Salt Lake City; and then another son, Henry Howard Knox of Oklahoma City. Early in life Guy Knox found it necessary to earn his own living and entered railroad work in Pueblo in a clerical capacity. After a brief period of clerking he became interested in journalism and turned to that field for a livelihood. For fifteen years he continued in that line of work, being engaged at different times with various Colorado newspapers and magazines. Developing into a special writer he was employed for several years by an eastern news syndicate in the production of feature articles for Sunday magazines on development of western resources. Traveling extensively in the intermountain states he devoted his spare time to study and today is recognized as an authority on the mineral, agricultural and industrial possibilities of mountain states and particularly Colorado's natural resources. He is up on modern methods of mining and milling, is posted by practical experience on farming and stock raising and has given years of attention to the subject of production and markets, which is today so vital to the success of western enterprises in general. He is an ardent supporter of permanent improvements for general use such as irrigation enterprises, reclamation of waste lands, good roads, and in fact, anything and everything that tends to upbuilding, home making and maintenance. In 1910 Mr. Knox made a trip into the northland, the Hudson Bay country—but returned to Colorado in less than a year satisfied that the big field was here and that it would be here the big things would he done. In 1911 he joined with Cyrus W. Barnholt in the organization of The Knox-Barnholt Company, a corporation whose purpose was to be the financing and developing of meritorious enterprises and today the company is engaged along the same lines in a decidedly successful way. Mr. Knox is deeply interested in charity work, believes in better laws and a broader interpretation of present statutes, less technicality and more practicability; in other words, more "do it" aud less "talking" about it. He may be a dreamer, as some of his intimate friends have expressed it, but he dreams big dreams, is a stanch advocate of fair play, a lover of the finer things of life and has faith in his convictions, all of which cover a multitude of sins. Mr. Knox is of Episcopal religious faith, of democratic political persuasion, is a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks fraternity, the Brotherhood of American Yeomen; an officer of the White Advisory Board of the Colorado-African Colonization Society, and member of a number of social, civic and political organizations. Mr. Knox married Miss Mayne Louise Longmoor, of Cynthiana, Kentucky, in 1900. There are no children. Besides a farm home and mountain home he maintains a permanent residence on Capitol Hill in Denver. History Of Colorado Illustrated Volume III Chicago The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company 1918

to the Pueblo County Index Page.