Joe "Nip" McKnight (born December 4, 1933) is an American politician who represented Tennessee's 27th district in the state senate from 1987–1995.
Joe McKnight | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Tennessee Senate from the 27th district | |
| In office 1987–1995 | |
| Succeeded by | Bobby Carter |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1933-12-04) December 4, 1933 (age 88) Jackson, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Memphis State University University of Tennessee-Martin |
McKnight grew up in Bemis, Tennessee, a company town run by the Bemis Company that merged into the city of Jackson in 1977. His father, a former college basketball player at University of Tennessee-Martin, taught McKnight the game at a young age. He continued playing throughout high school and college, first for Memphis State University before transferring to UT-Martin, where McKnight broke his father's scoring record. After graduation, McKnight taught at South Side High School in Jackson for two years. He was then hired by Martin-Marietta Ammunition of Milan and served as the company's production superintendent for sixteen years.[1]
McKnight served as Madison County commissioner for eight years prior to winning the 1986 state senate election.[1] He defeated Bobby Carter in the tight 1990 election,[2] but lost to Carter four years later.
McKnight married Sandra Maddox in 1960.[1][3]