George Q. Cannon
Encyclopedia
George Quayle Cannon was an early member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and served in the First Presidency
under four successive presidents of the church: Brigham Young
, John Taylor
, Wilford Woodruff
, and Lorenzo Snow
. He was the church's chief political strategist, and was dubbed "the Mormon premier" and "the Mormon Richelieu" by the press. He was also five-time Territorial Delegate
from Utah.
, England
to George Cannon and Ann Quayle, the eldest of six children. His father's sister, Leonora Cannon, had married Latter Day Saint Apostle John Taylor
and was baptized in 1836. News reached the elder George Cannon and four years later, when Taylor came to Liverpool, the entire Cannon family was baptized
into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; George Q. Cannon was 13 years old at the time. Cannon's siblings were Mary Alice Cannon (Lambert), Ann Cannon (Woodbury), Angus M. Cannon, David H. Cannon and Leonora Cannon (Gardner). In 1842, the Cannon family set sail for the United States
to join with the church in Nauvoo, Illinois
. On the voyage over the Atlantic Ocean
, Cannon's mother died. The motherless family arrived safely in Nauvoo in the spring of 1843. George Sr. married Mary Edwards in 1844 and had another daughter, Elizabeth Cannon (Piggott).
In Nauvoo, George Q. Cannon's father sent him to live with his uncle and aunt, John
and Leonora Taylor. Cannon worked in the printing office of Times and Seasons
and the Nauvoo Neighbor
for this uncle, who was an editor of both periodicals. In June 1844, Taylor accompanied Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith
, and Willard Richards
and others to Carthage Jail
. There, Joseph and Hyrum were killed
, and Taylor sustained serious bullet wounds. Cannon tended the printing affairs while Taylor recovered. This training would serve Cannon well in later life. Cannon's father died in 1845.
In 1846, Taylor travelled to England
to organize the affairs of the church after Joseph Smith's death. Meanwhile, Cannon accompanied John Taylor's wife and family as they moved to Winter Quarters, Nebraska
. When Taylor returned, Cannon traveled with the entire Taylor family to the Salt Lake Valley
, arriving in October 1847.
to serve as a missionary
for the church in the Sandwich Islands
(Hawaii
). Cannon served this mission for four years. While in Hawaii Elder Cannon converted many Native Hawaiians. One of the most notable was Jonatana Napela
, who was a native speaker of the Hawaiian Language. Napela assisted Cannon in translating the Book of Mormon
into Hawaiian. Joseph F. Smith
, a future president of the church, would follow Cannon and serve in Hawaii
one year later.
Returning to Utah
, Cannon married Elizabeth Hoagland (daughter of Abraham Hoagland
) and was almost immediately called to assist Apostle Parley P. Pratt
in publishing a newspaper in California
. Meeting Pratt in California, Cannon was told that he would remain behind and was ordained president
of the Oregon
and California mission of the church; Cannon was 28 years old at the time. Pratt returned to church headquarters. It was during this period of time that Cannon published the Hawaiian
translation of the Book of Mormon
. Cannon served in California until he heard of the Utah War
in 1857. In February 1856 he started the Western Standard, a weekly publication based in San Francisco. From 1856-1858 Cannon presided over the California mission.
Returning to Utah
to assist, Cannon was commissioned a Lieutenant General
in the Nauvoo Legion
. During this time Cannon served as printer of the Deseret News while it was in exile in Fillmore, Utah
. After the Utah War
he was called to preside
over the Eastern States Mission of the church.
in 1857 created a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. That vacancy wasn't filled until Brigham Young
called Cannon to the apostleship three years later. Cannon was ordained to the priesthood office of apostle on August 26, 1860 at age 33. Upon his joining the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Cannon was called to preside
over the European Mission of the church.
Cannon's mission presidency was short-lived: he was recalled by Young in 1862 to work in Washington, D.C.
in assisting the church's promotion of Utah Territory's
bid for statehood. At the adjournment of the 1862 congressional
session, Cannon left once again for Europe to preside over the European Mission. In this capacity, Cannon was the editor of the Millennial Star
and, for a short time, the church's Welsh language
periodical, Udgorn Seion
.
In 1867 Cannon became the managing editor of the Deseret News. It was under his direction that the News was first published on a daily basis. He held this position until 1874.
In 1866 in Utah
, Cannon began publication of a magazine for youth and young adult Latter-day Saints called The Juvenile Instructor. Cannon owned and published this magazine until his death; in 1901 the Cannon family sold the magazine to the LDS Church's Sunday School
organization. The periodical was the official organ of the Sunday School until 1930, when it was replaced with The Instructor
. Cannon also served as the first general superintendent of the church's Sunday School
from 1867 until his death.
when he was called as a counselor to Church President Brigham Young
. Cannon went on to serve as counselor to three more presidents of the church: he was First Counselor in the First Presidency
to Presidents John Taylor
and Wilford Woodruff
throughout their presidencies and was the First Counselor to Lorenzo Snow
until his own death.
Although Cannon was the second-most senior apostle of the church after the death of Wilford Woodruff
, Cannon did not become President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
, as would be the practice in the LDS Church today. Rather, because Cannon was a member of the First Presidency
, the church simply appointed the next senior apostle of the church—Brigham Young, Jr.
—to be the President of the Quorum
. (Under today's practices, Cannon would have been appointed the President of the Quorum and Young would have been appointed the Acting President of the Quorum.)
in the United States Congress
in 1872. He remained a congressional delegate until 1882, when his seat was declared vacant by the enactment of the Edmunds Act
, which terminated many political and civil rights for Utah's polygamists
.
The newly-appointed anti-Mormon
territorial governor, Eli Houston Murray
openly supported the Liberal Party of Utah
, which generally opposed Church candidates and therefore Cannon. Thus, the 1880 territory-wide election for a congressional delegate unexpectedly proved the closest that the Liberal Party got to sending a representative to Washington D.C.
The Liberal candidate, Allen G. Campbell
— with 1,357 votes — lost resoundingly to Cannon who had 18,567 votes. However, before Governor Murray certified the election, a protest on behalf of Campbell was filed. The protest listed a dozen claims, chiefly that Cannon, born in Liverpool
, England
, was an un-naturalized
alien
. The protest also claimed that Cannon's practice of polygamy
was incompatible with the law and a delegate's oath of office. Murray agreed and issued certification to Campbell in spite of his poor showing.
Cannon, in Washington at the time, argued that only Congress
could decide on a member's qualifications. He furthermore received a certificate from sympathetic territorial election officials which stated he had received the most votes. This document convinced the House of Representatives
clerk to enter Cannon's name on the roll, so Cannon began drawing delegate's salary.
Both Murray and Campbell traveled to Washington to dispute the seat. Each side battled over the position for over a year, even through the assassination and eventual death of President
James Garfield
. On February 25, 1882, the House of Representatives finally rejected both candidates. The House refused Cannon his seat not for his dubious citizenship, but for his practice of polygamy. The entire ordeal brought unfavorable national attention to Utah, resulting in the Edmunds Act
being signed into law on March 23, 1882. The act reinforced the 1862 Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act
by declaring polygamy a felony, but also revoked polygamists' right to vote, made them ineligible for jury
service, and prohibited them from holding political office.
In the end, the House seated John Thomas Caine
as the Delegate during the 47th Congress. Caine went on to serve for several years.
: he was married to five women simultaneously.
When the Supreme Court upheld the ban on plural marriage in the 1879 Reynolds v. United States
decision, George Q. Cannon stated:
Eventually, Cannon was driven "underground" to the life of a fugitive along with others in the church leadership who practiced plural marriage. In September 1888, Cannon surrendered himself to authorities and pleaded guilty at trial to a charges of unlawful cohabitation
under the Edmunds Act
. As a result, Cannon served nearly six months in Utah's federal penitentiary.
at 74 years of age. Had he lived only a few months longer, he would have been the next president of the church: Lorenzo Snow
died on October 10 of that year. Cannon was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery
.
Cannon fathered 32 children, some of whom are Abraham H. Cannon
, John Q. Cannon, and Sylvester Q. Cannon
, all of whom became general authorities in LDS Church, and Frank J. Cannon, Utah's first U.S. Senator
. Some of Cannon's prominent descendants
include Howard Cannon
, U.S. Senator
from Nevada
between 1959 and 1983 and Chris Cannon
, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1997 to 2009. His descendant George I. Cannon
was a general authority of the LDS Church from 1986 to 1991.
First Presidency (LDS Church)
The First Presidency is the presiding or governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It is composed of the President of the Church and his counselors. The First Presidency currently consists of President Thomas S. Monson and his two counselors, Henry B...
under four successive presidents of the church: Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
, John Taylor
John Taylor (1808-1887)
John Taylor was the third president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1880 to 1887. He is the only president of the LDS Church to have been born outside of the United States....
, Wilford Woodruff
Wilford Woodruff
Wilford Woodruff, Sr. was the fourth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1889 until his death...
, and Lorenzo Snow
Lorenzo Snow
Lorenzo Snow was the fifth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1898 to his death. Snow was the last president of the LDS Church in the nineteenth century.-Family:...
. He was the church's chief political strategist, and was dubbed "the Mormon premier" and "the Mormon Richelieu" by the press. He was also five-time Territorial Delegate
Utah Territory's At-large congressional district
Utah Territory's At-large congressional district is an obsolete congressional district that encompassed the area of the Utah Territory. After Utah's admission to the Union as the 45th state by act of Congress on January 4, 1896, this district was dissolved and replaced by Utah's At-large...
from Utah.
Early life
Cannon was born in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to George Cannon and Ann Quayle, the eldest of six children. His father's sister, Leonora Cannon, had married Latter Day Saint Apostle John Taylor
John Taylor (1808-1887)
John Taylor was the third president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1880 to 1887. He is the only president of the LDS Church to have been born outside of the United States....
and was baptized in 1836. News reached the elder George Cannon and four years later, when Taylor came to Liverpool, the entire Cannon family was baptized
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; George Q. Cannon was 13 years old at the time. Cannon's siblings were Mary Alice Cannon (Lambert), Ann Cannon (Woodbury), Angus M. Cannon, David H. Cannon and Leonora Cannon (Gardner). In 1842, the Cannon family set sail for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to join with the church in Nauvoo, Illinois
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...
. On the voyage over the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, Cannon's mother died. The motherless family arrived safely in Nauvoo in the spring of 1843. George Sr. married Mary Edwards in 1844 and had another daughter, Elizabeth Cannon (Piggott).
In Nauvoo, George Q. Cannon's father sent him to live with his uncle and aunt, John
John Taylor (1808-1887)
John Taylor was the third president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1880 to 1887. He is the only president of the LDS Church to have been born outside of the United States....
and Leonora Taylor. Cannon worked in the printing office of Times and Seasons
Times and Seasons
Times and Seasons was a 19th-century Latter Day Saint periodical published monthly or twice-monthly at Nauvoo, Illinois, from November 1839 to February 15, 1846...
and the Nauvoo Neighbor
Nauvoo Neighbor
The Nauvoo Neighbor was a weekly newspaper edited and published by Latter Day Saint Apostle John Taylor in Nauvoo, Illinois from 1843 to 1845. While it was not an official publication of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Neighbor was consistently pro-Mormon and its primary target...
for this uncle, who was an editor of both periodicals. In June 1844, Taylor accompanied Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith
Hyrum Smith
Hyrum Smith was an American religious leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the original church of the Latter Day Saint movement. He was the older brother of the movement's founder, Joseph Smith, Jr....
, and Willard Richards
Willard Richards
Willard Richards was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and served as Second Counselor in the First Presidency to church president Brigham Young in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death.Willard Richards was born in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, to...
and others to Carthage Jail
Carthage Jail
Carthage Jail, located in Carthage, Illinois, was the location of the death of Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and his brother Hyrum by a mob of approximately 150 men. Friends John Taylor and Willard Richards were also members of the incarcerated party, but were not...
. There, Joseph and Hyrum were killed
Death of Joseph Smith, Jr.
The death of Joseph Smith, Jr. on June 27, 1844 marked a turning point for the Latter Day Saint movement, of which Smith was the founder and leader. When he was attacked and killed by a mob, Smith was the mayor of Nauvoo, Illinois, and running for President of the United States...
, and Taylor sustained serious bullet wounds. Cannon tended the printing affairs while Taylor recovered. This training would serve Cannon well in later life. Cannon's father died in 1845.
In 1846, Taylor travelled to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to organize the affairs of the church after Joseph Smith's death. Meanwhile, Cannon accompanied John Taylor's wife and family as they moved to Winter Quarters, Nebraska
Winter Quarters, Nebraska
Winter Quarters was an encampment formed by approximately 2,500 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as they waited during the winter of 1846–47 for better conditions for their trek westward. It followed a preliminary tent settlement some 3½ miles west at Cutler's Park. The...
. When Taylor returned, Cannon traveled with the entire Taylor family to the Salt Lake Valley
Salt Lake Valley
Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably West Valley City, Murray, Sandy, and West Jordan; its total population is 1,029,655 as of 2010...
, arriving in October 1847.
Church service
In 1849, Cannon was asked by President of the Church Brigham YoungBrigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
to serve as a missionary
Mormon missionary
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...
for the church in the Sandwich Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
(Hawaii
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
). Cannon served this mission for four years. While in Hawaii Elder Cannon converted many Native Hawaiians. One of the most notable was Jonatana Napela
Jonatana Napela
Jonatana Napela or Jonathan Hawaii Napela was one of the earliest Latter-day Saint converts in Hawai'i. He helped translate the Book of Mormon into Hawaiian with George Q...
, who was a native speaker of the Hawaiian Language. Napela assisted Cannon in translating the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
into Hawaiian. Joseph F. Smith
Joseph F. Smith
Joseph Fielding Smith, Sr. was the sixth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, a future president of the church, would follow Cannon and serve in Hawaii
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
one year later.
Returning to Utah
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...
, Cannon married Elizabeth Hoagland (daughter of Abraham Hoagland
Abraham Hoagland
Abraham Lucas Hoagland was an early Mormon leader, pioneer, and one of the founders of Royal Oak, Michigan, and Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.-Early life:...
) and was almost immediately called to assist Apostle Parley P. Pratt
Parley P. Pratt
Parley Parker Pratt, Sr. was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from 1835 until his murder in 1857. He served in the Quorum with his younger brother, Orson Pratt...
in publishing a newspaper in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Meeting Pratt in California, Cannon was told that he would remain behind and was ordained president
Mission 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 Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and California mission of the church; Cannon was 28 years old at the time. Pratt returned to church headquarters. It was during this period of time that Cannon published the Hawaiian
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
translation of the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
. Cannon served in California until he heard of the Utah War
Utah War
The Utah War, also known as the Utah Expedition, Buchanan's Blunder, the Mormon War, or the Mormon Rebellion was an armed confrontation between LDS settlers in the Utah Territory and the armed forces of the United States government. The confrontation lasted from May 1857 until July 1858...
in 1857. In February 1856 he started the Western Standard, a weekly publication based in San Francisco. From 1856-1858 Cannon presided over the California mission.
Returning to Utah
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...
to assist, Cannon was commissioned a Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
in the Nauvoo Legion
Nauvoo Legion
The Nauvoo Legion was a militia originally organized by the Latter Day Saints to defend the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, . To curry political favor with the ambiguously-political Saints, the Illinois state legislature granted Nauvoo a liberal city charter that gave the Nauvoo Legion extraordinary...
. During this time Cannon served as printer of the Deseret News while it was in exile in Fillmore, Utah
Fillmore, Utah
Fillmore is a city in Millard County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,253 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Millard County. It is named for the thirteenth US President Millard Fillmore....
. After the Utah War
Utah War
The Utah War, also known as the Utah Expedition, Buchanan's Blunder, the Mormon War, or the Mormon Rebellion was an armed confrontation between LDS settlers in the Utah Territory and the armed forces of the United States government. The confrontation lasted from May 1857 until July 1858...
he was called to preside
Mission 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...
over the Eastern States Mission of the church.
Apostle
The murder of Parley P. PrattParley P. Pratt
Parley Parker Pratt, Sr. was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from 1835 until his murder in 1857. He served in the Quorum with his younger brother, Orson Pratt...
in 1857 created a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. That vacancy wasn't filled until Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
called Cannon to the apostleship three years later. Cannon was ordained to the priesthood office of apostle on August 26, 1860 at age 33. Upon his joining the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Cannon was called to preside
Mission 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...
over the European Mission of the church.
Cannon's mission presidency was short-lived: he was recalled by Young in 1862 to work in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in assisting the church's promotion of Utah Territory's
Utah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....
bid for statehood. At the adjournment of the 1862 congressional
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
session, Cannon left once again for Europe to preside over the European Mission. In this capacity, Cannon was the editor of the Millennial Star
Millennial Star
The Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star was the longest continuously published periodical of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, being printed from 1840 until 1970....
and, for a short time, the church's Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
periodical, Udgorn Seion
Udgorn Seion
Udgorn Seion was the official Welsh language periodical of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1849 and 1862....
.
In 1867 Cannon became the managing editor of the Deseret News. It was under his direction that the News was first published on a daily basis. He held this position until 1874.
In 1866 in Utah
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...
, Cannon began publication of a magazine for youth and young adult Latter-day Saints called The Juvenile Instructor. Cannon owned and published this magazine until his death; in 1901 the Cannon family sold the magazine to the LDS Church's Sunday School
Sunday School (LDS Church)
Sunday School is an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . All members of the church and any interested nonmembers, age 12 and older, are encouraged to participate in Sunday School.-Purpose:...
organization. The periodical was the official organ of the Sunday School until 1930, when it was replaced with The Instructor
The Instructor
The Instructor was an official periodical of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1930 and 1970, during which It was the official organ of the LDS Church's Sunday School auxiliary....
. Cannon also served as the first general superintendent of the church's Sunday School
Sunday School (LDS Church)
Sunday School is an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . All members of the church and any interested nonmembers, age 12 and older, are encouraged to participate in Sunday School.-Purpose:...
from 1867 until his death.
First Presidency
On April 8, 1873, Cannon became a member of the church's First PresidencyFirst Presidency
In the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency was the highest governing body in the Latter Day Saint church established by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1832, and is the highest governing body of several modern Latter Day Saint denominations...
when he was called as a counselor to Church President Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
. Cannon went on to serve as counselor to three more presidents of the church: he was First Counselor in the First Presidency
First Presidency
In the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency was the highest governing body in the Latter Day Saint church established by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1832, and is the highest governing body of several modern Latter Day Saint denominations...
to Presidents John Taylor
John Taylor (1808-1887)
John Taylor was the third president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1880 to 1887. He is the only president of the LDS Church to have been born outside of the United States....
and Wilford Woodruff
Wilford Woodruff
Wilford Woodruff, Sr. was the fourth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1889 until his death...
throughout their presidencies and was the First Counselor to Lorenzo Snow
Lorenzo Snow
Lorenzo Snow was the fifth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1898 to his death. Snow was the last president of the LDS Church in the nineteenth century.-Family:...
until his own death.
Although Cannon was the second-most senior apostle of the church after the death of Wilford Woodruff
Wilford Woodruff
Wilford Woodruff, Sr. was the fourth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1889 until his death...
, Cannon did not become President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is a priesthood calling in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . In general, the President of the Quorum of the Twelve is the most senior Apostle in the church, aside from the President of the Church...
, as would be the practice in the LDS Church today. Rather, because Cannon was a member of the First Presidency
First Presidency
In the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency was the highest governing body in the Latter Day Saint church established by Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1832, and is the highest governing body of several modern Latter Day Saint denominations...
, the church simply appointed the next senior apostle of the church—Brigham Young, Jr.
Brigham Young, Jr.
Brigham Young, Jr. served as president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1899 until his death. His tenure was interrupted for one week in 1901 when Joseph F...
—to be the President of the Quorum
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is a priesthood calling in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . In general, the President of the Quorum of the Twelve is the most senior Apostle in the church, aside from the President of the Church...
. (Under today's practices, Cannon would have been appointed the President of the Quorum and Young would have been appointed the Acting President of the Quorum.)
Political life and plural marriage
Cannon was elected to be the non-voting delegate for Utah TerritoryUtah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....
in the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in 1872. He remained a congressional delegate until 1882, when his seat was declared vacant by the enactment of the Edmunds Act
Edmunds Act
The Edmunds Act, also known as the Edmunds Anti-Polygamy Act of 1882, is a United States federal statute, signed into law on March 23, 1882, declaring polygamy a felony. The act is named for U.S. Senator George F. Edmunds of Vermont...
, which terminated many political and civil rights for Utah's polygamists
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
.
Dispute in the 47th Congress
By 1880, Cannon had served four terms in Congress as Territorial Delegate.The newly-appointed anti-Mormon
Anti-Mormon
Anti-Mormonism is discrimination, persecution, hostility or prejudice directed at members of the Latter Day Saint movement, particularly The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
territorial governor, Eli Houston Murray
Eli Houston Murray
Eli Houston Murray was Governor of Utah Territory between 1880 and 1886.He had been brevetted to the rank of brigadier general in the American Civil War, and was appointed Governor in 1880....
openly supported the Liberal Party of Utah
Liberal Party (Utah)
The Liberal Party, like the People's Party, flourished in Utah Territory as a local political party in the latter half of the 19th century—before Democrats and Republicans established themselves in Utah in the early 1890s....
, which generally opposed Church candidates and therefore Cannon. Thus, the 1880 territory-wide election for a congressional delegate unexpectedly proved the closest that the Liberal Party got to sending a representative to Washington D.C.
The Liberal candidate, Allen G. Campbell
Allen G. Campbell
Allen G. Campbell was a former delegate from Utah Territory to the United States House of Representatives. Campbell was engaged in the insurance industry and was a member of the Anti-Mormon Utah Liberal Party. He ran for several territorial offices before he was involved in an election controversy...
— with 1,357 votes — lost resoundingly to Cannon who had 18,567 votes. However, before Governor Murray certified the election, a protest on behalf of Campbell was filed. The protest listed a dozen claims, chiefly that Cannon, born in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, was an un-naturalized
Naturalization
Naturalization is the acquisition of citizenship and nationality by somebody who was not a citizen of that country at the time of birth....
alien
Alien (law)
In law, an alien is a person in a country who is not a citizen of that country.-Categorization:Types of "alien" persons are:*An alien who is legally permitted to remain in a country which is foreign to him or her. On specified terms, this kind of alien may be called a legal alien of that country...
. The protest also claimed that Cannon's practice of polygamy
Plural marriage
Polygamy was taught by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890.The Church's practice of polygamy has been highly controversial, both within...
was incompatible with the law and a delegate's oath of office. Murray agreed and issued certification to Campbell in spite of his poor showing.
Cannon, in Washington at the time, argued that only Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
could decide on a member's qualifications. He furthermore received a certificate from sympathetic territorial election officials which stated he had received the most votes. This document convinced the House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
clerk to enter Cannon's name on the roll, so Cannon began drawing delegate's salary.
Both Murray and Campbell traveled to Washington to dispute the seat. Each side battled over the position for over a year, even through the assassination and eventual death of President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
James Garfield
James Garfield
James Abram Garfield served as the 20th President of the United States, after completing nine consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Garfield's accomplishments as President included a controversial resurgence of Presidential authority above Senatorial courtesy in executive...
. On February 25, 1882, the House of Representatives finally rejected both candidates. The House refused Cannon his seat not for his dubious citizenship, but for his practice of polygamy. The entire ordeal brought unfavorable national attention to Utah, resulting in the Edmunds Act
Edmunds Act
The Edmunds Act, also known as the Edmunds Anti-Polygamy Act of 1882, is a United States federal statute, signed into law on March 23, 1882, declaring polygamy a felony. The act is named for U.S. Senator George F. Edmunds of Vermont...
being signed into law on March 23, 1882. The act reinforced the 1862 Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act
Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act
The Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act was a federal enactment of the United States Congress that was signed into law on July 8, 1862 by President Abraham Lincoln...
by declaring polygamy a felony, but also revoked polygamists' right to vote, made them ineligible for jury
Jury
A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
service, and prohibited them from holding political office.
In the end, the House seated John Thomas Caine
John Thomas Caine
John Thomas Caine was a delegate to the United States House of Representatives from the Territory of Utah.Born in the parish of Patrick, Isle of Man, Caine attended the common schools in Douglas, Isle of Man....
as the Delegate during the 47th Congress. Caine went on to serve for several years.
Plural marriage
Like many early Latter-day Saints, Cannon practiced plural marriagePlural marriage
Polygamy was taught by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890.The Church's practice of polygamy has been highly controversial, both within...
: he was married to five women simultaneously.
- "If we, as a people, had attempted to practice this principle without revelation, it is likely that we should have been led into grievous sins, and the condemnation of God would have rested upon us; but the Church waited until the proper time came, and then the people practiced it according to the mind and will of God, making a sacrifice of their own feelings in so doing. But the history of the world goes to prove that the practice of this principle, even by nations ignorant of the Gospel, has resulted in greater good to them than the practice of monogamy or the one-wife system in the so-called Christian nations. To-day, Christendom holds itself and its institutions aloft as a pattern for all men to follow. If you travel throughout the United States and through the nations of Europe in which Christianity prevails, and talk with the people about their institutions, they will boast of them as being the most permanent, indestructible and progressive of any institutions existing upon the earth; yet it is a fact well known to historians, that the Christian nations of Europe are the youngest nations on the globe. Where are the nations that have existed from time immemorial? They are not to be found in Christian monogamic Europe, but in Asia, among the polygamic races—China, Japan, Hindostan and the various races of that vast continent. Those nations, from the most remote times, practiced plural marriage handed down to them by their forefathers. Although they are looked upon by the nations of Europe as semi-civilized, you will not find among them woman prostituted, debased and degraded as she is through Christendom. She may be treated coldly and degraded, but among them, except where the Christian element prevails to a large extent, she is not debased and polluted, as she is among the so-called Christian nations. It is a fact worthy of note that the shortest-lived nations of which we have record have been monogamic. Rome...was a monogamic nation and the numerous evils attending that system early laid the foundation for that ruin which eventually overtook her."
-
- George Q. Cannon, Journal of Discourses, vol. 13, p. 202
-
When the Supreme Court upheld the ban on plural marriage in the 1879 Reynolds v. United States
Reynolds v. United States
Reynolds v. United States, , was a Supreme Court of the United States case that held that religious duty was not a suitable defense to a criminal indictment...
decision, George Q. Cannon stated:
Eventually, Cannon was driven "underground" to the life of a fugitive along with others in the church leadership who practiced plural marriage. In September 1888, Cannon surrendered himself to authorities and pleaded guilty at trial to a charges of unlawful cohabitation
Cohabitation
Cohabitation usually refers to an arrangement whereby two people decide to live together on a long-term or permanent basis in an emotionally and/or sexually intimate relationship. The term is most frequently applied to couples who are not married...
under the Edmunds Act
Edmunds Act
The Edmunds Act, also known as the Edmunds Anti-Polygamy Act of 1882, is a United States federal statute, signed into law on March 23, 1882, declaring polygamy a felony. The act is named for U.S. Senator George F. Edmunds of Vermont...
. As a result, Cannon served nearly six months in Utah's federal penitentiary.
Death and descendants
Cannon died on April 12, 1901 in Monterey, CaliforniaMonterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
at 74 years of age. Had he lived only a few months longer, he would have been the next president of the church: Lorenzo Snow
Lorenzo Snow
Lorenzo Snow was the fifth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1898 to his death. Snow was the last president of the LDS Church in the nineteenth century.-Family:...
died on October 10 of that year. Cannon was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery
Salt Lake City Cemetery
thumb|The northern section of the cemetery at night, looking towards Salt Lake CityThe Salt Lake City Cemetery is in The Avenues neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah. Approximately 120,000 persons are buried in the cemetery. Many religious leaders and politicians, particularly many leaders of The...
.
Cannon fathered 32 children, some of whom are Abraham H. Cannon
Abraham H. Cannon
Abraham Hoagland Cannon , born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....
, John Q. Cannon, and Sylvester Q. Cannon
Sylvester Q. Cannon
Sylvester Quayle Cannon was the sixth presiding bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1925 and 1938 and a member of church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from October 6, 1939 until his death. He was the son of George Q...
, all of whom became general authorities in LDS Church, and Frank J. Cannon, Utah's first U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. Some of Cannon's prominent descendants
Cannon Family
The Cannon family is a prominent U.S. political family in the states of Utah, Nevada and Idaho which descends from the 19th century marriage of George Cannon and Ann Quayle before their emigration from Peel, Isle of Man. The family's most notable member was their oldest son George Q. Cannon...
include Howard Cannon
Howard Cannon
Howard Walter Cannon was an American politician. He served as a United States Senator from Nevada from 1959 until 1983 as a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life:...
, U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
between 1959 and 1983 and Chris Cannon
Chris Cannon
Christopher Black "Chris" Cannon was a member of the United States House of Representatives, for the Republican Party, representing the third district of Utah from 1997 - 2009....
, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1997 to 2009. His descendant George I. Cannon
George I. Cannon
George Ivins Cannon was a leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was a general authority of the church from 1986 to 1991....
was a general authority of the LDS Church from 1986 to 1991.
See also
- Cannon familyCannon FamilyThe Cannon family is a prominent U.S. political family in the states of Utah, Nevada and Idaho which descends from the 19th century marriage of George Cannon and Ann Quayle before their emigration from Peel, Isle of Man. The family's most notable member was their oldest son George Q. Cannon...
- Deseret BookDeseret BookDeseret Book is the largest Latter-day Saint book publisher and also owns a chain of LDS bookstores in the western United States. Over 150 people work in its Salt Lake City headquarters...
- United States Congress Delegates from Utah Territory
- Unseated members of the United States Congress