J. Proctor Knott

James Proctor Knott (August 29, 1830 – June 18, 1911) was the Attorney General of Missouri at the outset of the American Civil War and Governor of Kentucky from 1883 to 1887.

Quotes

 * Duluth! The word fell upon my ear with a peculiar and indescribable charm, like the gentle murmur of a low fountain stealing forth in the midst of roses, or the soft sweet accent of an angel’s whisper in the bright, joyous dream of sleeping innocence. ’T was the name for which my soul had panted for years, as the hart panteth for the water-brooks.
 * Speech on the St. Croix and Bayfield Railroad Bill, Jan. 27, 1871; Knott made this satirical speech, sometimes titled as Duluth! or The Untold Delights of Duluth, while serving in the United States House of Representatives; the speech lampooned Western boosterism by portraying Duluth, Minnesota, in fantastical and glowing language.


 * I think every gentleman on this floor is as well satisfied as I am that Duluth is destined to become the commercial metropolis of the universe, and that this road should be built at once.
 * Speech on the St. Croix and Bayfield Railroad Bill, Jan. 27, 1871.