Education
He graduated from the University of Missouri–Saint Louis in 2008 with a master"s degree in public policy administration.
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James Wallace
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He was first elected Mayor of the city of Ferguson, Missouri, in April 2011. Knowles, who was 31 years old at the time of his election, became the youngest mayor in Ferguson"s history, as well one of the youngest mayors in Saint Louis County and the state of Missouri at the time. Knowles received bachelor"s degrees in political science and criminal justice from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri in 2002.
Knowles is a former chairman of the Missouri Young Republicans.
Knowles was a staff member for former Missouri state Senator and Democrat Ted House. He is a former employee of the Ferguson Police Department, serving nearly four years in the department"s communications division.
Knowles served on the Ferguson city council prior to becoming mayor. Knowles was elected Mayor in the nonpartisan election on April 5, 2011, winning 49% of the vote.
He defeated two challengers, Pearce Neikirk, a realtor, and former Ferguson mayor Steve Wegert.
Voter turnout for the April 2014 mayoral election was extremely low at just 12 percent. Knowles publicly expressed disappointment with the low voter turnout at an April 2014 city council meeting. Tenure as Mayor
Knowles, who was 31-years old when he took office, became the youngest mayor in Ferguson"s history.
He was also believed to be one of youngest mayors in Missouri at the time.
He denied that Ferguson had a history of racism in an interview with Microsoft and National Broadcasting Company in 2014. An effort to recall Knowles was filed with the city on March 13, 2015.
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Knowles has defended the Ferguson Police Department in the aftermath of the shooting of Michael Brown in August 2014.
