Thomas McKnight (March 10, 1787 – December 1, 1865) was an American pioneer, businessman, and politician who settled in Dubuque, Iowa.
Born in Augusta County, Virginia, McKnight was a merchant in Nashville, Tennessee, and then in St. Louis, Missouri.
He then moved to Galena, Illinois, where he was involved in the lead mining industry.
Eventually, he moved to Dubuque County, in the Iowa District of Wisconsin Territory.
In the 1840 Federal census, he stated that he held two slaves in Dubuque County, in spite of the fact that slavery was not legal under the Northwest Ordinance.