Knight, Benjamin

Benjamin Knight (1836-1905) was a native of Connecticut who came to Santa Cruz as a medical doctor in the early 1870s. He served a term as a state senator, and became the owner of "Knight's Opera House" not long after its 1877 construction, after entrepreneur/con man "Budd" Smith skipped out on the construction debts.

• History Pages: 35 - Gentrification: Downtown Santa Cruz in the 1870s
• John L. Chase, The Sidewalk Companion to Santa Cruz Architecture (4th ed. 2023), Chapter Three, entry (6), page 58; entry (9), page 59

Son Benjamin K. Knight (1874-1947) became County District Attorney and a judge. Knight Street behind the Town Clock was named for the family.