William Christmas Knighton (December 25, 1864 – March 16, 1938) was an American architect best known for his work in Oregon. Knighton designed the Governor Hotel in Portland, Johnson Hall at the University of Oregon, and the Oregon Supreme Court Building[1] and Deepwood Estate in Salem. He served as Oregon's first State Architect from 1913–1917. By 1917, Knighton had designed ninety building projects as State Architect.
Knighton was born in Indianapolis, Indiana and later received his architectural training in Chicago and Birmingham, Alabama. He was the son of Charles J. Knighton and Mary Hill.
Knighton moved to Portland, Oregon in the early 1890s and worked for architect George W. Marshall. In 1892 Knighton moved to Salem, Oregon where he apprenticed as a draftsman with C. S. McNally until 1893.
Knighton established his own Salem office in March 1893, as a result of McNally moving to Oakland, California, and practiced alone until 1896. In 1896, Knighton relocated to Los Angeles where he continued to practice until early 1898, before returning to Birmingham, Alabama in 1898 where he worked for George Wheelock & Company until 1902. Knighton then returned to Portland in 1902 to work alone for the second time, until 1904 when he began a partnership with William Travis, Jr. for the partnership known as Knighton and Travis.
Knighton and Travis operated as a partnership until 1906. From 1906 until early 1910 Knighton practiced alone in Portland until he briefly formed a partnership with J. Terry Wilding. With the partnership of Wilding only lasting a year, Knighton then entered a partnership with Edward T. Root in 1911.