Edwin Q. Cannon
Encyclopedia
Edwin Quayle "Ted" Cannon, Jr. (6 June 1918 – ) was a Utah
politician
and businessman and was a prominent leader and missionary
in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Cannon was among the first missionaries in the LDS Church to preach to black people
in Africa
and was part of the first group missionaries sent to establish official congregations of the LDS Church in West Africa.
. Cannon's paternal grandfather was George Q. Cannon
, a Mormon pioneer
and prominent leader in the LDS Church. Cannon was raised in Salt Lake City.
In 1937, Cannon went on a mission for the LDS Church to Nazi Germany
. He was president
of a branch of the church in Berlin
in 1939 when the LDS Church evacuated its missionaries from Europe
at the beginning of World War II
. Cannon finished his mission in eastern Canada
and returned to Utah in 1940.
In 1941, Cannon married Janath Russell in the Salt Lake Temple
. They had six children together.
from the University of Utah
and in 1943 graduated from Harvard Business School
with an MBA degree. After graduating, he managed a Cannon family business, the Salt Lake Stamp Company.
In 1948, Cannon was elected as a Republican
member of the Utah House of Representatives
for Salt Lake County
. He was re-elected in 1956 and 1958 and served three full terms.
of the Switzerland
Mission
of the church.
In 1978, three weeks after the LDS Church announced
that it would no longer impose restrictions of black people
receiving the priesthood
or participating in temple
ordinances, Cannon traveled to Africa
on behalf of the church with Merrill J. Bateman
to assess the prospects for church missionary work and growth in "black Africa". (At the time, Cannon was a counselor to James E. Faust
in the church's International Mission, which had jurisdiction over all areas of the world not otherwise part of a mission.) After Bateman and Cannon reported the results of their trip, Cannon and his wife were called and set apart
as the first Mormon missionaries to black Africa. They—along with Rendell and Rachel Mabey—preached in Nigeria
and Ghana
, baptized hundreds of converts, and established 27 branches of the LDS Church in Nigeria and Ghana. The first convert baptized in Africa was Anthony Obinna
.
In the late 1980s, Cannon and his wife were the directors of the LDS Church's visitors' centre in Nauvoo
, Illinois
. For three months in 1989, Cannon was the interim president of the LDS Church's Germany
Hamburg
Mission; during this time, the regular president of the mission was working on getting Mormon missionaries admitted to East Germany.
After his interim service as mission president, Cannon was the second president
of the Frankfurt Germany Temple
from 1989 to 1992.
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and businessman and was a prominent leader and missionary
Missionary (LDS Church)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Cannon was among the first missionaries in the LDS Church to preach to black people
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and was part of the first group missionaries sent to establish official congregations of the LDS Church in West Africa.
Early life, mission, and family
Cannon was born in Salt Lake City, Utah to Edwin Q. Cannon, Sr. and Luella Wareing. He was born at his parents' home because of the 1918 influenza pandemicSpanish flu
The 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
. Cannon's paternal grandfather was George Q. Cannon
George Q. Cannon
George Quayle Cannon was an early member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and served in the First Presidency under four successive presidents of the church: Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and Lorenzo Snow...
, a Mormon pioneer
Mormon Pioneer
The Mormon pioneers were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Latter-day Saints, who migrated across the United States from the Midwest to the Salt Lake Valley in what is today the U.S. state of Utah...
and prominent leader in the LDS Church. Cannon was raised in Salt Lake City.
In 1937, Cannon went on a mission for the LDS Church to Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. He was president
Branch President
A branch president is a leader of a "branch" congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.The calling of branch president is very similar to the calling of bishop, except that instead of presiding over a ward, the branch president presides over a branch...
of a branch of the church in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in 1939 when the LDS Church evacuated its missionaries from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
at the beginning of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Cannon finished his mission in eastern Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and returned to Utah in 1940.
In 1941, Cannon married Janath Russell in the Salt Lake Temple
Salt Lake Temple
The Salt Lake Temple is the largest and best-known of more than 130 temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the sixth temple built by the church, requiring 40 years to complete, and the fourth operating temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo,...
. They had six children together.
Education, career, and politics
In 1942, Cannon graduated with a bachelor's degreeBachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
and in 1943 graduated from Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
with an MBA degree. After graduating, he managed a Cannon family business, the Salt Lake Stamp Company.
In 1948, Cannon was elected as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the Utah House of Representatives
Utah House of Representatives
The Utah House of Representatives is the lower house of the Utah State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. The House is composed of 75 representatives elected from single member constituent districts. Each district contains an average population of 35,000 people...
for Salt Lake County
Salt Lake County, Utah
Salt Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. It had a population of 1,029,655 at the 2010 census. Its county seat and largest city is Salt Lake City, the state capital. It occupies Salt Lake Valley, as well as parts of the surrounding mountains, the Oquirrh Mountains to the west...
. He was re-elected in 1956 and 1958 and served three full terms.
LDS Church service
From 1964 to 1971, Cannon was a bishop of the LDS Church in Salt Lake City. From 1971 to 1974, he was the presidentMission president
Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . A mission president presides over a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission...
of the Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
Mission
Mission (LDS Church)
A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area...
of the church.
In 1978, three weeks after the LDS Church announced
1978 Revelation on Priesthood
The 1978 Revelation on Priesthood was a revelation to the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which reversed a long-standing policy excluding men of black African descent from the priesthood.-Background:...
that it would no longer impose restrictions of black people
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
receiving the priesthood
Priesthood (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , the priesthood is the power and authority to act in the name of God for the salvation of humankind...
or participating in temple
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
ordinances, Cannon traveled to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
on behalf of the church with Merrill J. Bateman
Merrill J. Bateman
Merrill Joseph Bateman is an emeritus general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . From 2003 to 2007, Bateman was a member of the Presidency of the Quorums of the Seventy of the church...
to assess the prospects for church missionary work and growth in "black Africa". (At the time, Cannon was a counselor to James E. Faust
James E. Faust
James Esdras Faust was an American religious leader, lawyer, and politician. Faust was Second Counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1995 until his death, an LDS Church apostle for 29 years, and a general authority of the church for 35...
in the church's International Mission, which had jurisdiction over all areas of the world not otherwise part of a mission.) After Bateman and Cannon reported the results of their trip, Cannon and his wife were called and set apart
Setting apart
Setting apart is an ordinance or ritual in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints whereby a person is formally chosen and blessed to carry out a specific calling or responsibility in the church....
as the first Mormon missionaries to black Africa. They—along with Rendell and Rachel Mabey—preached in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
and Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, baptized hundreds of converts, and established 27 branches of the LDS Church in Nigeria and Ghana. The first convert baptized in Africa was Anthony Obinna
Anthony Obinna
Anthony Uzodimma Obinna , born in Umuelem Enyiogugu in Aboh Mbaise, in Nigeria, was the first convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Nigeria....
.
In the late 1980s, Cannon and his wife were the directors of the LDS Church's visitors' centre in Nauvoo
Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. For three months in 1989, Cannon was the interim president of the LDS Church's Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
Mission; during this time, the regular president of the mission was working on getting Mormon missionaries admitted to East Germany.
After his interim service as mission president, Cannon was the second president
Temple President
Temple president is a priesthood leadership position in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A temple president's primary responsibility is to supervise the affairs of an LDS temple in both an administrative and spiritual capacity....
of the Frankfurt Germany Temple
Frankfurt Germany Temple
The Frankfurt Germany Temple is the 43rd constructed and 41st operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in the city of Friedrichsdorf, Germany, it was built with the same general architecture as the six-spire design used in the Boise, Chicago, and Dallas temples,...
from 1989 to 1992.
External links
- President Edwin Q. Cannon, Jr. : biography from Switzerland Zurich Mission alumni page