George Owen Knapp

George Owen Knapp (January 21, 1855 – July 21, 1945) was a wealthy industrialist and philanthropist. He was the President of Peoples Gas Light and Coke Company in Chicago, by 1893. In 1894 he was a founder of the Union Calcium Carbide Company which he reformulated as Union Carbide in 1904. He was CEO and President, and the board chair of Union Carbide until 1933.

Knapp's philanthropy was broad, but where he focused it was in medical care. He funded the growth and provided key leadership to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital starting in 1914. In 1931 he funded the Knapp Hospital in Crescent City, California.