James Knight

Who was James Knight?

James Knight was a director of the Hudson's Bay Company and an explorer who died in an expedition to the Northwest Passage.

Knight was born in England and joined the Hudson's Bay Company in 1676 as a carpenter. In 1682, he became Chief Factor of the trading post of Fort Albany in James Bay where he became rich. In 1697, he bought stock in the HBC, and in 1711, he gained a seat on the board of directors.

The long wars of the Grand Alliance and the Spanish Succession between England and France had spread to North America and battered the Hudson's Bay Company financially and logistically. Four of the company's five trading posts were lost to the French; Knight led an expedition in 1693 that successfully recaptured Fort Albany, the only one retained by the English. However, among the provisions of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 was the restoration of the captured posts. In 1714, Knight was sent out to take possession of York Factory and restore the company's fortunes. Despite the damage to the fort from the French occupation, and the hardships of the climate, he succeeded in rebuilding the company's business, and in 1719, it paid its first dividend in 20 years.