he shared with his wife, Amanda) earned him the reputation as the "patron saint" of BYU. He also donated freely to his church and to many church-related projects. Furthermore, his comfortable but unostentatious home in Provo, Utah, did not rival the extravagantly garish mansions built by big businessmen from San Francisco's Nob Hill to New York's Fifth Avenue. Nor did he seek high political office like mining kings George Hearst, James Fair, William Sharon, John P. Jones, Nathaniel Hill, Jerome B. Chaffee, Horace Tabor, William Clark, or Utah's Thomas Kearns—all of whom served in the "millionaire's club" of the United States Senate. Knight was known by the moniker "Uncle Jesse" during his lifetime due to his image as rich but giving uncle. In his writing, he expressed a belief that his money was for the purpose of doing good and building up his church; he regarded the matter as a "trusted stewardship." As he once said, "The earth is the Lord's bank, and no man has a right to take money out of that bank and use it extravagantly upon himself." Although he strayed from the LDS Church in his early years and briefly affiliated with the anti-Mormon Liberal Party in Utah, he was a devout member for most of his life and helped to save the LDS Church from financial ruin incurred from legal battles with the federal government over control of the Utah territory and issues such as polygamy. After making his fortune in mining, Knight went on to develop settlement and industry in what is today southern Alberta. In 1901, Knight purchased 30,000 acres (120 km²) of land in Canada's Northwest Territories for $2.50 per acre. On this property he established a ranch; Knight later went on to acquire another 226,000 acres (915 km²) of land near his ranch and established a town built around irrigation farming of sugar beets, which were then processed in a local sugar factory that Knight built. The settlement was named Raymond in honor of his son, Raymond Knight. Within five years, over 1,500 Latter-day Saints—mostly from Utah—had immigrated to Raymond. The town incorporated in 1903, and today Knight is honored as the founder of Raymond, Alberta. Legacy Knightville, Utah - mining town Knightville Road - Juab County, Utah Knight Academy - Raymond, Warner County, Alberta, Canada See also Inez Knight Allen - daughter Ray Knight (rodeo organizer) - son Tintic Standard