Donald J. Canney (October 8, 1930 – March 20, 2011) was an American

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...

who served as the mayor of

Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 137,710 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, second-most populous city in Iowa. The city lies o ...

, for twenty-two years from 1969 to 1992. Canney is Cedar Rapids' longest-serving mayor to date.

Biography

Early life

Canney was born on October 8, 1930, to John and Alice Mickle Canney in

Iowa City Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's fifth-most populous city. The Iowa City metropolitan area, which enc ...

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

. He served as an underwater demolitions expert within the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. He received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

civil engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...

from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

. Canney married Gloria Frau on August 20, 1955, and remained together until her death in 2010.

Career

Canney served as the Cedar Rapids streets commissioner for more than six years before becoming Mayor of

Cedar Rapids Cedar Rapids is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in u ...

in 1969. Canney is credited with spearheading much of modern Cedar Rapids'

infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and pri ...

and civic development. Projects credited to Canney include the U.S. Cellular Center, which opened in 1979 as the Five Seasons Center, the expansion of The Eastern Iowa Airport, the Edgewood Road Bridge and the 5-in-1 dam. Canney resigned from office in 1992 after more than 22 years as mayor, when he was 61 years old. he took a position with PMX Industries Inc., a

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

firm which had opened a facility in Cedar Rapids, where he worked for three years before his retirement. In addition to his career in engineering and politics, Canney also created his own

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

of fish fillet knives, called "Canney’s Leech Lake filet knife." The knives were named for a lake in which he fished during the summer. Don Canney died of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on March 20, 2011, at the age of 80. His funeral was held at the St. Pius X Roman Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids. Canney's wife, Gloria (née Oberer) Canney, had died on September 13, 2010. Current Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett announced the creation of a

commission In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...

to rename a major Cedar Rapids landmark in honor of Canney. Possible choices for the memorial which have been mentioned include an

airport terminal An airport terminal is a main building at an airport where passengers transfer between ground transportation and the facilities that allow them to board and disembark from an Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft. The buildings that provide access t ...

at Eastern Iowa Airport, a former federal court which is being re-purposed to become Cedar Rapids' future

city hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

, or the city library. Corbett explained that, "We’re looking for something significant to have Don Canney’s name associated with. Don was big into public infrastructure, so it only makes sense from the standpoint also."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Canney, Don 1930 births 2011 deaths Mayors of Cedar Rapids, Iowa American civil engineers United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War United States Marines University of Iowa alumni

Biography

Early life

Career

See also

References