Robert knight (industrialist)

American industrialist and philanthropist

Robert Knight (8 January 1826 – 26 November 1912) was a New England industrialist and philanthropist, who was a partner with his brother Benjamin Knight in B.

B. & R. Knight and was one of the largest textile manufacturers in the world when he died in 1912.

Robert knight (industrialist)

He co-founded the clothing brand Fruit of the Loom, now owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway.

Early life

Knight was born in Old Warwick, Rhode Island, on January 8, 1826, to Stephen Knight and Weltham Brayton.

After moving to Cranston, Rhode Island, Knight's father put Robert to work in the Cranston Print Works when he was eight years old. Knight later worked in Coventry, Rhode Island, for Elisha Harris until he was 17 years old working for $1.25 per week.

In 1843 Knight began working for his brother Benjamin as a store clerk. Two years later with the help of a friend, Knight studied for a year and a half at Pawcatuck Academy in Weste