Sir Lees Knowles, 1st Baronet, KStJ, CVO (16 February 1857 – 7 October 1928) was a British barrister, military historian and Conservative politician.

From 1887 to 1892, Knowles held an appointment as unpaid parliamentary secretary to Charles Ritchie, President of the Local Government Board.

On 24 April 1890, he brought a motion before the House of Commons and was subsequently appointed to formulate the Royal Commission on Tuberculosis.

[8] Knowles had a great interest in military history, and wrote a number of books on the life of Napoleon.

Knowles was a philanthropist, supporting a number of charities, notably the Guinness Trust for Housing the Poor.