Martin Knott, grandson of the late Baltimore philanthropist Henry J. Knott, is the national financial chairman for O’Malley for President, but he’s far from your typical political operative.
The New Yorker profiles the Baltimore County father-of-four and Calvert Hall alum with special emphasis on his obsession with the band Grateful Dead. The 44-year-old Baltimore County resident (and Curb Shoppe fan) has been publishing for the last 10 years ‘Today in Grateful Dead History,’ a daily email blast with factoids about the counterculture rock band. He also sits on the board of the Grateful Dead’s charitable foundation, the Rex Foundation.
Knott recounts that he first met O’Malley in 1998 when the presidential candidate was running for mayor. “We were the youngest guys in the room,” he tells the magazine, and goes on to explain that the two Irish Catholic, Jesuit-school educated up-and-comers bonded over their love of music. O’Malley is the lead singer in the Celtic rock band O’Malley’s March and a Bruce Springsteen fan.
Naturally, when asked by O’Malley to join his campaign, Knott’s response was what you’d expect from an avowed Deadhead.
“I was like, ‘One good ride from start to end? I’d like to take that ride again.’ ” (These are lyrics from the song “Might As Well.”)
Read the profile at newyorker.com.
Unless Martin Knott attended a Jesuit college, which is quite plausible then Martin O’Malley is the only Jesuit educated of the two. Calvert Hall is a Christian Brothers educated school.
Indeed, he did. Martin Knott attended Xavier University, a Jesuit university in Cincinnati.