Edwin Bennion Cannon

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Edward Bennion Cannon
Member of the Utah State Senate
from the 6th district
In office
January 8, 1951 – 1954
Personal details
Born(1910-01-02)January 2, 1910
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
DiedNovember 12, 1963(1963-11-12) (aged 53)
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Beth Christensen
​
(m. 1938)​
Children4
RelativesJohn K. Cannon (brother)
Angus M. Cannon (grandfather)
Alma materUniversity of Utah
OccupationAttorney

Edwin Bennion "Ted" Cannon (January 2, 1910 – November 12, 1963) was an American attorney who served as a member of the Utah State Senate from 1951 until 1954 as a member of the Republican Party.

Cannon was born in Salt Lake City to a family with strong connections in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), being related to Mormon pioneers like Angus M. Cannon and George Q. Cannon. After serving as a missionary and receiving a law degree, he worked as an attorney in Utah and later served one term in the Utah State Senate as a representative for Salt Lake County.

Early life[edit]

Family background[edit]

See also: Cannon family

Edwin Bennion Cannon was born in Salt Lake City on January 2, 1910, to John Mousley Cannon and Zina Cannon (née Bennion).[1] His father was a Utah attorney and ranch owner who was active within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), serving as counselor to Granite Stake president Frank Young Taylor at the time of his death.[2] His mother was a theology teacher and administrator of Mormon groups within the Salt Lake City area.[3] Cannon's paternal grandfather was Angus Munn Cannon,[2] a brother of George Q. Cannon and president of the Salt Lake City Stake.[4]: 282  Angus and George's parents (George Cannon and Ann Quayle) were British converts who had been baptized by John Taylor in 1840 before immigrating to the United States.[5]: 370 

Cannon's parents John and Zina were married in 1893, and gave him ten siblings: sisters Beatrice, Mary, Lenore, Anne; and brothers John, Milton, Paul, Angus, Clarence and Sterling.[2] During this period, John Mousley Cannon was also in a relationship with Margaret Cannon (née Peart) and fathered or adopted several children.[6] These include United States Air Force general John K. Cannon, Marguerite, Jasmine Miller, Hyrum P. and Clyde Peart.[7][a] Cannon's father was also in a relationship with Harriet Seymour Cannon (née Neff) and fathered or adopted several more children.[8]

Mission and education[edit]

In 1930, Cannon was called to volunteer with the Northwestern States Mission. His farewell event was attended by prominent church members including Hugh B. Brown and Milton Bennion.[9] While working as a missionary in Alaska, Cannon took part in the state's rededication ceremony alongside then-mission president William R. Sloan and was a cofounder of an LDS Sunday School in Juneau during April 1932.[10] He remained involved with the mission until at least March 1933.[11]

In May 1935, Cannon was elected to the honor society of Phi Kappa Phi as a student of the University of Utah.[12] He was also a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha and Delta Phi fraternities.[13] He passed the bar later that year as a graduate of the University of Utah's law school.[14][1]

Career[edit]

Cannon officially joined the Utah State Bar as an attorney in January 1936.[15] He was admitted to practice in federal court in September of that year following a recommendation from the District of Utah assistant attorney Scott M. Matheson.[16]

In 1941, Cannon was associated with the law firm of Stewart and Hurd (formerly Stewart, Hurd and Parkinson).[17] In 1944, he was elected treasurer of the Salt Lake County Bar Association.[18]

Political career[edit]

In May 1950, Cannon was one of six candidates chosen by the Salt Lake County Republicans to go forward for the Utah State Senate primary elections.[19] He finished the September primary elections with the second highest number of votes for a Republican and was one of three candidates chosen to go forward for the general election.[20] Cannon was elected in November of that year to serve as one of three State Senators for Salt Lake County, alongside fellow Republican candidate Elias Day and Democratic Party candidate Edward H. Watson.[21]

Cannon took his seat on January 8, 1950 and was appointed to Governor J. Bracken Lee's advisory committee.[22] In January 1953, he began serving as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.[23] The following month, he was one of seven senators appointed to a sifting committee, responsible for managing the 100+ bills and resolutions on the calendar.[24]

His term as a state senator ended in 1954.[25]

Personal life[edit]

In September 1938, Cannon's engagement to fellow University of Utah graduate Beth Christensen was announced in The Salt Lake Tribune.[13] They married on October 1 that year at the Salt Lake Temple with temple president Stephen L. Chipman as the officiant.[26] The couple had two daughters (Carol and Elizabeth Jayne) and two sons (James E. and Drew D.).[1]

Death[edit]

On November 11, 1963, Cannon received a basal skull fracture after falling down the stairs at his home.[1] He died the following day at a hospital in Salt Lake City.[1]

He was buried at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park in Salt Lake City, following a funeral service on November 15.[1]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Hyrum P. Cannon is the only one of these offspring mentioned in Cannon's Salt Lake Tribune obituary.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "S.L. Attorney Dies After Fall on Stair". The Salt Lake Tribune. November 13, 1963. 12B. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "John M. Cannon, Churchman, Dies". Salt Lake Herald-Republican. June 17, 1917. p. 28. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  3. ^ "Funeral Monday for Mrs. Cannon". Deseret News. September 18, 1954. B3. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  4. ^ Driggs, Kenneth David (1988). "The Mormon Church-State Confrontation in Nineteenth-Century America". Journal of Church and State. 30 (2). ISSN 0021-969X. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  5. ^ Cannon, Donald Q. (1985). "Angus M. Cannon: Pioneer, President, Patriarch". In Cannon, Donald Q.; Whittaker, David J. (eds.). Supporting Saints: Life Stories of Nineteenth-Century Mormons. Brigham Young University.
  6. ^ "Gen. John Cannon, Famed Utahn, Dies". Deseret News. January 12, 1955. B1. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  7. ^ "Gen. John Cannon, Famed Utahn, Dies". Deseret News. January 12, 1955. B10. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  8. ^ "Cannon, John M. (John Mousley), 1865-1917". BYU Library. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  9. ^ "Farewell Set for Thursday". Deseret News. September 6, 1930. p. 8. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  10. ^ Hart, Mark (February 1944). "Alaska and the Air Age". Improvement Era. 47 (2): 101. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  11. ^ "Meeting called". Deseret News. March 10, 1933. p. 15. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  12. ^ "Honorary Elects Seven 'U' Students". Salt Lake Telegram. May 23, 1935. p. 9. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Engaged Pair Set Nuptial Date". The Salt Lake Tribune. September 18, 1938. 8E. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  14. ^ "Eighteen Pass State Bar Test". The Salt Lake Tribune. December 11, 1935. p. 10. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  15. ^ "Young Attorneys Take Ethics Oath". The Salt Lake Tribune. January 14, 1936. p. 16. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  16. ^ "Admitted to Practice". The Salt Lake Tribune. September 22, 1936. p. 13. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  17. ^ "Law Firm Announces Change in Name". Deseret News. July 17, 1941. p. 8. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  18. ^ "S. L. Bar, U. Law Alumni Elect at Joint Meeting". The Salt Lake Tribune. June 2, 1944. p. 8. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  19. ^ "Brisk Balloting Marks Selection of GOP Nominees". Standard-Examiner. May 7, 1950. p. 1. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  20. ^ "State Senate Races". The Salt Lake Tribune. September 7, 1950. p. 11. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  21. ^ "Ballot Box Results Elate Republicans, Sadden Demos". Deseret News. November 11, 1950. B3. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  22. ^ Harrison, Conrad B. (January 8, 1951). "Ogden Solon Named President of Senate". Deseret News. p. 2. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  23. ^ "Republicans Head Most Committees in Utah's Senate". The Daily Herald. January 15, 1953. p. 1. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  24. ^ "230 Bills Sent for Sifting Group Study". The Salt Lake Tribune. February 14, 1953. p. 2. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  25. ^ Malmquist, O. N. (March 21, 1954). "Reapportionment Issue Blunts State Senate Campaign Enthusiasm". The Salt Lake Tribune. 1B. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  26. ^ "L.D.S. Temple Scene of Wedding at High Noon on Saturday". The Salt Lake Tribune. October 2, 1938. 5E. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
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