Marion I. Knott Directorship and Professorship in Oncology

MARION I. KNOTT (pictured, seated with her husband, surrounded by their children) was the matriarch of one of Baltimore’s most philanthropic families. With her late husband, Henry J. Knott, she provided significant support for the hospital and health system over the years. In recognition of her support, the medical campus west of Baltimore was dedicated in her honor in 1994.

Her endowment of this directorship and professorship reflected her strong belief in the importance of the work underway at Hopkins in understanding, preventing, and treating cancer and other devastating diseases. Four of Mr. and Mrs. Knott’s 13 children, one son and three daughters, have battled cancer. Three were patients at Hopkins and benefited from their treatment.

A native of Richmond, Virginia, and a descendant of early American settlers from Scotland, Marion Knott came to Baltimore as a very young child. In a gentle and organized fashion she maintained a comfortable, welcoming home for her husband and family. She died in 2003.

Henry J. Knott Directorship of the McKusick-Nathans Institute for Medical Genetics and Professorship in Medical Genetics

HENRY J. KNOTT was a builder and outstanding developer whose companies constructed thousands of homes and businesses in Baltimore. A longtime hospital trustee, he was awarded an honorary degree in 1986. With his wife, MARION I. KNOTT, he made contributions to cultural institutions in the Baltimore region in excess of $300 million prior to his death in 1995. In a 1987 Baltimore Magazine profile, Mr. Knott discussed his motivations for giving away so much of his wealth: “It’s like catching fish,” he said. “You get up early. You fill the boat with fish, and then you give them away before they start to rot.”

Marion Knott pledged to endow a directorship and professorship in oncology at Johns Hopkins at the same time she created this chair and directorship of the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine. She and her husband encouraged their 13 children to become active in civic life and philanthropy. (Henry and Marion Knott, seated, are pictured with their children.)