Philip Leonidas Cannon (June 28, 1850 – June 20, 1929)[1] was an American banker and politician who served as the first Lieutenant Governor of Delaware from January 15, 1901, to January 17, 1905. Son of former Governor William Cannon, he was the first elected to the office under the Delaware Constitution of 1897 and served under 53rd Governor John Hunn.

Philip L. Cannon
Cannon circa 1903
1st Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
In office
January 15, 1901 – January 17, 1905
GovernorJohn Hunn
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byIsaac T. Parker
Personal details
BornJune 28, 1850
Bridgeville, Delaware, U.S.
DiedJune 20, 1929(1929-06-20) (aged 78)
Lewes, Delaware, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseHester Polk
Parent(s)William Cannon
Margaret Ann Barker

Life and career

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Born in Bridgeville in Sussex County, Delaware, to parents William Cannon and Margaret Ann Barker, Cannon attended the Pennington Seminary and the Dickinson Grammar School and pursued the Latin Scientific Course at Dickinson College for two years starting in 1866.[2][3] He did not graduate but went into business with his elder brother, Henry Pervis Cannon, operating a large farm and establishing a canning factory in 1881.[4] However, he soon departed the cannery business to focus on banking and mercantile interests, serving as president of First National Bank of Seaford, Delaware, from 1890 until his death.[1] Cannon remained one of Delaware's largest landowners and progressive farmers, owning hundreds of acres of peach orchards.[2][5]

A member of the Republican Party, Cannon served as the first Lieutenant Governor of Delaware from 1901 to 1905. His name was bruited for US Senate, but nomination never materialized.[3] He served as president of Delaware's Revenue and Taxation Commission until 1909 and as vice president of the state chapter of the American Bankers Association (1908–1909).[1]

Cannon was a member of the Belles Lettres Literary Society and the Epilson chapter of Phi Kappa Sigma.[1][2][3]

Personal life

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Cannon married Hester Polk Jacobs on June 25, 1874. The couple had three children: William (born 1875), Curtis Leonidas (born 1883), and Philip Holland (born 1893).[1] Cannon died at Beebe Hospital in Lewes, Delaware, at the age of 78.[2][5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e General Register of the Members of the Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity, 1850–1910. Philadelphia: Phi Kappa Sigma. 1910. p. 249. Retrieved 2022-10-26 – via Internet Archive.
  2. ^ a b c d "Cannon Brothers Follow Each Other in Death". The Dickinson Alumnus. 6: 9. August 1929. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
  3. ^ a b c Memory Book for the Class of 1870. Dickinson College. 1903. p. 52. Retrieved 2022-10-26 – via Dickinson College Archives.
  4. ^ "Chronological History". Bridgeville Historical Society. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
  5. ^ a b "Obituary for Philip L. Cannon". The News Journal. 1929-06-21. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
Political offices
New office Lieutenant Governor of Delaware Succeeded by