Alfred Henderson Knight III

Knight, III, Alfred H. — noted lawyer, legal scholar, and author died suddenly Monday, Oct. 10, 2011, at the age of 74. Born in Buffalo, New York, he attended Cornell University and Vanderbilt Law School, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif. In 1961, he was selected to be a teaching fellow at Harvard Law School. Upon returning to Nashville he completed his military service in the Air National Guard with the rank of Sergeant First Class. Mr. Knight then joined the law firm of Hooker, Hooker & Willis and, as an expert on the First Amendment, represented The Tennessean newspaper with great success. From 1965 to 1980, he taught as a visiting professor at Vanderbilt Law School. His legal career also included a stint as a federal Assistant U.S. Attorney in the 1960s. As Assistant U.S. Attorney his most notable case involved the successful prosecution of Gary Lee Etheridge and others for bank robbery, conspiracy, and murder. In 1969, Mr. Knight and Bill Willis formed Willis & Knight and eventually settled into their building on Second Avenue. He enjoyed a long and distinguished legal career and handled many high profile cases, including an appearance before the United States Supreme Court in U.S. v. Lanier. In 1984, he received the prestigious First Amendment Award from the Society of Professional Journalists. In 1989, he was admitted to The American College of Trial Lawyers. Mr. Knight was also a member of the American Inns of Court, the Board of Trust of the Nashville Bar Association, and the University School of Nashville Board of Directors.. He eventually took time to begin a second career writing books on the legal system and legal history, and a book of personal memoirs. His first book, "The Life of the Law," was highly praised and won the American Bar Association Silver Gavel Award in 1997. Of his seven books, three are as yet unpublished. The chief loves of his life -- above the law -- were his two sons of whom he was immensely proud. Mr. Knight is survived by a sister, Sally Adams of North Canton, Ohio; his devoted first wife, Lois Knight; two stepdaughters, Haley Sweet of Los Angeles, California, and Shari Sweet Smith; and his two sons, Eric Knight and Stephen Knight — wife, Kay Knight, and two grandchildren, Sarah and Sam Knight. His second wife, Ruth Sweet, died in 1998. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, October 19, 2011, at Wightman Chapel at the Scarritt Bennett Center, 1008 19th Ave. S., at 5:00 p.m. Visitation with the family will be from 3:00 to 5:00 in the adjacent Bennett Hall. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Elephant Sanctuary of which Mr. Knight was a founding member.