John S. Knight (left) and James L. Knight (right)

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation established this fund for the benefit of the Florida Museum of Natural History. John worked for 67 years with the Akron Beacon Journal. In 1974, Knight Publishing Company merged with Ridder Publications and he was named editorial chairman and director of the company. A Pulitzer Prize winner, John Knight passed away in 1981. James was one of the nation’s most prominent newspaper publishers. The former chairman and chief executive officer of Knight-Ridder Inc., he was also the chairman of the board of the Miami Herald Publishing Company. He passed away in 1991.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation was established in 1950 as a private foundation independent of the Knight brothers’ newspaper enterprises. It is dedicated to furthering their ideals of service to community, to the highest standards of journalistic excellence and to the defense of a free press.