| James W. Knowles III | |
| Order: | 11th Mayor of Ferguson |
| Term Start: | April 11, 2011 |
| Term End: | June 17, 2020 |
| Predecessor: | Brian Fletcher |
| Successor: | Ella Jones |
| Birth Date: | July 20, 1979 |
| Birth Place: | Ferguson, Missouri, U.S. |
| Party: | Republican[1] [2] |
| Spouse: | Lisa |
| Children: | 2 |
| Alma Mater: | Truman State University (BA) University of Missouri–St. Louis (MPP) |
James Wallace Knowles III (born July 20, 1979) is an American politician who served as the 11th Mayor of the city of Ferguson, Missouri, from April 2011 to June 2020.[3] [4]
Knowles received bachelor's degrees in political science and criminal justice from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri in 2002.[4] He graduated from the University of Missouri–St. Louis in 2008 with a master's degree in public policy administration.[5]
Knowles is a former chairman of the Missouri Young Republicans.[6] Knowles was a staff member for former Missouri state Senator and Democrat Ted House.[7] He is a former employee of the Ferguson Police Department, serving nearly four years in the department's communications division.[8]
Knowles served on the Ferguson city council prior to becoming mayor.[3] Knowles was elected mayor in the nonpartisan election on April 5, 2011, winning 49% of the vote.[3] He defeated two challengers, Pearce Neikirk, a realtor, and former Ferguson mayor Steve Wegert.[3] Voter turnout for the April 2014 mayoral election was extremely low at just 12 percent.[3] Knowles publicly expressed disappointment with the low voter turnout at an April 2014 city council meeting.[9]
Knowles became the youngest mayor in Ferguson's history when he took office at the age of 31.[4] He was also believed to be one of youngest mayors in Missouri at the time.[3] Knowles has defended the Ferguson Police Department in the aftermath of the shooting of Michael Brown in August 2014. He denied that Ferguson had a history of racism in an interview with MSNBC in 2014.[10] An effort to recall Knowles was filed with the city on March 13, 2015.[11] Knowles was re-elected mayor on April 4, 2017, with 57% of the vote.
Knowles was unable to run for re-election in 2020 due to term limits. He was succeeded by Ella Jones, the first black mayor of Ferguson in the city's history.[12]