Elizabeth Anne Wells Cannon

Elizabeth Wells Cannon (December 7, 1859 – September 2, 1942), also referred to as Annie Wells Cannon, was a prominent women's suffragist in Utah who served in the Utah House of Representatives from 1913 to 1915 and again in 1921. She was also president of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers and a charter member of the Utah Red Cross.

Elizabeth Anne Wells Cannon
Cannon circa 1920
Born
Elizabeth Ann Wells

(1859-12-07)December 7, 1859
Salt Lake City, Utah
DiedSeptember 2, 1942(1942-09-02) (aged 82)
Salt Lake City, Utah
NationalityAmerican
Other namesAnnie Wells Cannon
Alma materDeseret University
OccupationPolitician
Spouse
John Quayle Cannon
(m. 1879⁠–⁠1931)
(his death)

Early life

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Elizabeth Ann "Annie" Wells was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on December 7, 1859, the daughter of General Daniel Hammer Wells (1814-1891) and Emmeline Blanche Woodward (1828-1921). She had 29 siblings. [1] [2] [3]

She attended the Deseret University. [3]

Career

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Elizabeth Wells Cannon worked for fifteen years as a reporter and assistant editor for the Woman's Exponent, a Utah Suffrage paper published and edited by her mother Emmeline B. Wells, and she contributed verse and prose to various magazines and newspapers. [4] [2]

She was a member of House of Representatives, an author of measures for social welfare and art. [2]

She was the director of the Library Board. [2]

She was a member of the Board of Directors of the American Relief Association, national historian and twice state president of the Service Star Legion, and honorary member for Utah for the National Woman's Relief Society. In 1883 she wrote The History and Objectives of the Relief Society and co-authored the Relief Society Handbook. She was chosen by Herbert Hoover to be Utah's chairman for the European Relief Drive. [2] [3]

In 1918 she was associate vice-president of the American Flag Association. [3]

She was a member of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers, the American Woman's Association, the Utah Woman's Press Club, the Order of Bookfellows. [2]

Personal life

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In 1879 Elizabeth Wells married Col. John Quayle Cannon (1857-1931). They lived in Salt Lake City, Utah,[5][6][7][8][9] finally settling at 1354 South 9th West;[2][8][9] and had twelve children, eleven of whom lived to adulthood, and three of whom[which?] served in World War I:

  1. George Quayle Cannon (1881-1967)
  2. Louise Blanche Cannon (Andrew) (1884-1967)
  3. Margaret Cannon (Clayton) (1886-1977)
  4. Daniel Hoagland Cannon (1889-1954)
  5. Eleanor Addy Cannon (1891-1892)
  6. Emmeline Cannon (Martineau) (1893-1972)
  7. Cavendish Wells Cannon (1895-1962)
  8. Katherine Cannon (McKay) (1897-1947)
  9. David Woodward Cannon (1899-1973)
  10. Abraham Hoagland Cannon (1899-1992)
  11. John Quayle Cannon (1901-1980)
  12. Theodore Lincoln Cannon (1904-1966)[2][1][3]

Elizabeth died in Salt Lake City, of Hodgkin's lymphoma, and is buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery.[1]

Publications

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  • "Zina Young Card". Relief Society Magazine. 18 (4): 202–204. April 1931.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "State of Utah Death Certificate". Archived from the original on 2011-08-18. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Binheim, Max; Elvin, Charles A (1928). Women of the West; a series of biographical sketches of living eminent women in the eleven western states of the United States of America. p. 172. Retrieved 8 August 2017.  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ a b c d e An Enduring Legacy. Volume One. Daughters Of Utah Pioneers. 1978. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  4. ^ Carol Cornwall Madsen, An Advocate for Women: The Public Life of Emmeline B. Wells (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2006), p. 44
  5. ^ "1880 US Census". FamilySearch. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. June 7, 1880. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  6. ^ "1900 US Census". FamilySearch. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. June 19, 1900. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  7. ^ "1910 US Census". FamilySearch. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. May 7, 1910. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  8. ^ a b "1920 US Census". FamilySearch. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. January 20, 1920. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  9. ^ a b "1930 US Census". FamilySearch. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. April 8, 1930. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
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