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James Knight was a director of the Hudson's Bay Company and an explorer who died in an expedition to the Northwest Passage.

Knight was born in England and joined the Hudson's Bay Company in 1676 as a carpenter. In 1682, he became Chief Factor of the trading post of Fort Albany in James Bay where he made himself rich. In 1697, he bought stock in HBC and, in 1711, he gained a seat on the board of directors.

The long wars of the Grand Alliance and the Spanish Succession with France had spread to Canada and battered the HBC. Four of the company's five trading posts were lost to the French. However, among the provisions of the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 was the restoration of these posts. In 1714, Knight was sent out to take possession of York Fort and restore the company's fortunes. Despite the damage to the fort from the French occupation, and the hardships of the climate, he succeeded in rebuilding the company's business, and, in 1719, it paid its first dividend for 20 years.

Knight was determin