George Q. Cannon

George Q. Cannon

George Quayle Cannon (born January 11, 1827 in Liverpool , England , † April 12, 1901 in Monterey , California ) was an American politician . Between 1873 and 1881 he represented the Utah Territory as a delegate in the US House of Representatives . He was also a senior member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints .

Early years and advancement

George Cannon attended public schools in his British homeland. In 1842 he came to the United States with his father; the mother died during the crossing. The family settled in Nauvoo , Illinois . Cannon was a member of the local Mormon religious community . After the assassination of church leader Joseph Smith , he moved his church to Salt Lake City in what was to become Utah. Smith's successor as head of the Mormon Church, Brigham Young , sent George Cannon to California in 1849 and to Hawaii in 1850 , where he served as missionary. In 1854, Cannon returned to Salt Lake City. There he worked in the printing industry. Between 1856 and 1857 he published the newspaper "Western Standard". From 1867 to 1879 he published the newspaper Deseret News with a three-year break in the years 1874 to 1877 .

Political career

George Cannon became a member of the Republican Party . He became a member of the board of directors and then chancellor of Deseret University , which later became the University of Utah . In the congressional elections of 1872 George Cannon was elected as a delegate of the Utah Territory to the US House of Representatives in Washington , where he replaced William Henry Hooper on March 4, 1873 . After a few re-elections, he was able to exercise this office until March 3, 1881.

Turbulence broke out in the Utah Territory in the 1880 congressional elections. The new Territorial Governor Eli Houston Murray was an opponent of the Mormons and supported the Liberal Party , which was principally against church candidates for political office. In doing so, she also opposed another election of Cannon. The election result itself spoke in favor of Cannon. He won with 18,567 votes clearly against the liberal candidate Allen G. Campbell , who received 1,357 votes . As a result, there were protests against Cannon's election and the election was challenged. This was justified, among other things, with the allegation that Cannon was born in England, had not yet obtained American citizenship and was therefore not eligible as a foreigner. Another allegation related to the polygamy allowed by the Mormons . Polygamy is incompatible with United States law and the congressional oath of office; Cannon was married to five women at the same time. Governor Murray endorsed these arguments and named Campbell a delegate to the US Congress .

In Washington, Cannon filed a complaint and received permission from the Congress administration to serve as a delegate for the Utah Territory. Campbell also traveled to the federal capital. There the dispute continued until 1882. On February 25, 1882, the House of Representatives decided that neither candidate was eligible to serve. Cannon was disfellowshipped not because of his citizenship in question, but because of the issue of polygamy. As a result of the dispute, the so-called Edmunds Act was passed, according to which polygamy was a criminal offense. The supporters of polygamy were excluded from active and passive suffrage. They were also not allowed to serve as a jury member in court. The vacant seat of the delegate for Utah went to John Thomas Caine .

Another résumé

After retiring from Congress, George Cannon returned to Salt Lake City. He became a director of Union Pacific Railroad and a board member of several companies. He also continued to be active in the Mormon Church, in whose hierarchy he rose as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles . At the time of his death, he was second in the church leadership. He died on April 12, 1901. The then Church leader, Lorenzo Snow , died in October that year and Cannon would have succeeded him. George Cannon had a total of 32 children. Some of the sons would later hold high church offices. Son Frank was also a congressional delegate and later the first Class 1 category Senator from Utah.

Web links

Commons : George Q. Cannon  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Wikisource: George Q. Cannon  - Sources and full texts (English)

• George Q. Cannon in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• George Q. Cannon in the database of Find a Grave (English)