Sen. Pete Knight, 74, Suffers From Leukemia

California Sen. William J. “Pete” Knight has been hospitalized with an aggressive form of leukemia, a spokesman said Wednesday.

The 74-year-old Palmdale Republican has not made an appearance in the state Senate since his hospitalization April 12. Other senators have been handling Knight’s legislative business, said David Orosco, his communications director.

The disease, acute myelogenous leukemia, is a form of cancer that affects the bone marrow’s ability to produce healthy blood cells.

Orosco would not comment Wednesday on Knight’s condition or his treatment. “But we here on staff know that he’s faced a lot of challenges in his life,” he said. “And he’s a fighter, so we’re hopeful.”

Knight is best known for his self-described strong conservative positions and his performance as a military test pilot. In 32 years of service in the Air Force, Knight flew and tested more than 100 aircraft.

At Edwards Air Force Base in 1967, he flew a modified X-15 rocket plane to Mach 6.7, or 4,520 mph -- a feat that remains an unbroken speed record for a fixed-wing aircraft.

Knight also flew 253 combat missions in an F-100 jet fighter during the Vietnam War.

After stints as a city councilman and mayor in Palmdale, Knight was elected to the state Assembly in 1992 and the state Senate in 1996, where he has earned a reputation as a tax fighter and champion of conservative cultural values.

In 2000, voters approved Proposition 22, an initiative written by Knight that defined marriage as solely between a man and a woman.

When San Francisco began issuing marriage licenses to gay couples this year, Knight’s advocacy group, the Proposition 22 Legal Defense and Education Fund, challenged the effort.

In March the senator’s son, David, married his longtime male partner in San Francisco. The Baltimore resident said at the time: “I’m not here to confront my father; I’m here to confront his politics.”

Because of term limits, this is Knight’s final year in the Senate.