Howard Cannon
Howard Cannon | |
---|---|
United States Senator from Nevada | |
In office January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1983 | |
Preceded by | George W. Malone |
Succeeded by | Chic Hecht |
Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee | |
In office January 3, 1978 – January 3, 1981 | |
Preceded by | Warren Magnuson |
Succeeded by | Bob Packwood |
Chair of the Senate Rules Committee | |
In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1977 | |
Preceded by | B. Everett Jordan |
Succeeded by | Daniel Inouye |
Personal details | |
Born | Howard Walter Cannon January 26, 1912 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse |
Dorothy Pace (m. 1945) |
Children | 2 |
Relatives | Cannon family |
Profession | Attorney |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Years of service | 1941–1946 (active); 1946–1947 (reserve) |
Rank | Lieutenant colonel |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | |
Howard Walter Cannon (January 26, 1912 – March 5, 2002) was an American
Born in
In 1949, Cannon returned to politics, winning election as city attorney for
Cannon's final Senate term was mired in a scandal after the revelation of a 1979 meeting with
Early life and education
Cannon was born in St. George, Utah. His grandfather, David Cannon, was the younger brother of George Q. Cannon and a leading figure in the building of the St. George Temple, who was later the third president of that temple. His father Walter Cannon was one of David Cannon's 31 children. Howard's parents Walter Cannon and Leah Sullivan married in 1909. When Cannon was two years old his father left for England to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for two years.[1]
Cannon went to Woodward School in St. George, close enough to his home he could walk home for lunch. He then went to Dixie High School. During summers, he worked as a bell hop at the North Rim Lodge along the Grand Canyon. In the evenings he would form a small band where he used his skills as a saxophonist to entertain guests. He delivered copies of the Deseret News around St. George on horseback.[2]
He graduated from Dixie Junior College (now
Also in the summer of 1936, Cannon began dating Dorothy Pace of Alamo, Nevada. They married on December 21, 1945.[6]
After he finished law school he returned to St. George. Among his actions on his return was buying a house adjacent to Dixie College as an investment property.[7]
Early career
Cannon became a lawyer after passing the bar exams in Arizona (1937), Utah (1938) and Nevada (1946). He served as a reference and research attorney for the Utah State Senate in 1939, and won election as county attorney of Washington County, Utah in 1940.[4]
Military service
During
Career in Las Vegas
In 1946 Cannon established law offices in Las Vegas. In 1949 he was elected Las Vegas City Attorney, and he served four consecutive terms.[4]
U.S. Senate
Elections
In 1956, Cannon ran for the
In the early 1980s, Cannon was ensnared in a scandal when Teamsters President Roy Lee Williams was indicted by federal prosecutors for attempting to bribe Cannon in exchange for using his influence to block the Motor Carrier Act of 1980, a bill deregulating the trucking industry. He testified that he did not know Williams or his associates and denied being offered a bribe, but other witnesses corroborated the story, and Williams was convicted. Cannon was challenged in the 1982 Democratic primary by U.S. Representative Jim Santini and won winning by about 4,500 votes but lost the general election to Republican nominee Chic Hecht, a former state senator and businessman.[10]
Tenure
In 1964, Cannon voted for the Civil Rights Act.[11] He also helped increase funding for Nellis Air Force Base, turning Nellis into one of the most important military facilities worldwide.[12] Cannon also introduced the Airline Deregulation Act, a bill signed in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter that stopped the federal government from regulating airfare and airline routes.[13] Deregulation led to lower air fares and contributed to the growth of Las Vegas as a tourist destination.[12]
A
In 1981, he won the Tony Jannus Award for his distinguished contributions to commercial aviation.[24]
In 1980 he took a familiarisation ride in the SR71 Blackbird. (http://www.sr71.us/pg011.htm)
Committee assignments
He had an interest in the rules and administration of the Congress, serving as chairman of several committees on that subject, including the
Post-political life
After leaving Congress in 1983, Cannon remained in Washington as a defense and aviation consultant for 11 years.[12]
On February 2, 1988, President
On March 5, 2002, Cannon died at age 90 in a Las Vegas hospice due to
Honors
- The passenger terminal at Reno-Tahoe International Airportis named after him.
- The Cannon Center for Survey Research is named after him.[29]
- The Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum, located in Las Vegas's McCarran International Airport, is also named after him.[30]
References
Citations
- ^ Vernetti 2008, pp. 22–24
- ^ Vernetti 2008, pp. 27–28
- ^ a b Evans, K. J. (February 7, 1999). "Howard W. Cannon (1913-): Quiet Clout". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on September 3, 1999. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "CANNON, Howard Walter". U.S. Congress. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- ^ Vernetti 2008, p. 31
- ^ Vernetti 2008, pp. 33, 62
- ^ Vernetti 2008, p. 25
- ^ a b Palmer, Robert P. (July 29, 2015). "Profiles in Leadership: Howard Cannon's lifetime of service to his nation, the Air Force and the aviation industry". Citizen Airman. U.S. Air Force. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ "Howard W. Cannon". ArlingtonCemetery.net. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ Stout, David (March 7, 2002). "Howard Cannon, 90, Senator Who Served Four Terms, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
- ^ "HR 7152. Passage". Govtrack. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ a b c Morrison, Jane Ann (March 7, 2002). "Nevada bids a fond farewell". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on December 26, 2002. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
- ^ Dye, Felicia (February 4, 2021). "What is the Airline Deregulation Act?". Wise Geek. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
- ^ "Sen. Howard Cannon". Govtrack. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ "1965 Senate Voting Record" (PDF). ADA World. 20 (7). Americans for Democratic Action: 4. November 1965. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ https://adaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/1971.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "Senate Votes" (PDF). ADA Legislative Newsletter. Americans for Democratic Action. January 1, 1978. p. 3. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ "Senate Votes" (PDF). The ADA World. Americans for Democratic Action. January 1983. p. 4. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ "1972 Senate Ratings: Montana – Pennsylvania". American Conservative Union. Archived from the original on November 24, 2004. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ "1981 Senate Ratings: Montana – Pennsylvania". American Conservative Union. Archived from the original on July 8, 2001. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ "1971 Senate Ratings: Montana – Pennsylvania". American Conservative Union. Archived from the original on November 24, 2004. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ "1978 Senate Ratings: Montana – Pennsylvania". American Conservative Union. Archived from the original on February 18, 1999. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ "1982 Senate Ratings: Montana – Pennsylvania". American Conservative Union. Archived from the original on February 22, 1999. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ "Past Recipients". Tony Jannus Distinguished Aviation Society. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ "Past Chairmen". United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ "Nomination of Howard W. Cannon To Be a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation". The White House. February 2, 1988. Retrieved April 13, 2021 – via The American Presidency Project.
- ^ "PN849 – Howard W. Cannon – Barry Goldwater Scholarship & Excellence in Education Foundation". U.S. Congress. March 3, 1988. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ Bernstein, Adam (March 7, 2002). "Former Nevada Sen. Howard Cannon Dies". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ "Meeting Your Research Needs – Cannon Survey Center". surveys.unlv.edu.
- ^ "Cannon Aviation Museum". Clark County Nevada.
Bibliography
- Vernetti, Michael (2008). Senator Howard Cannon of Nevada: A Biography (e-book). University of Nevada Press. ISBN 978-0-87417-747-3– via Google Books.
External links
- United States Congress. "Howard Cannon (id: C000120)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Appearances on C-SPAN