Janath Russell Cannon (October 28, 1918 – July 5, 2007) was a counselor to

Barbara B. Smith Barbara Bradshaw Smith (January 26, 1922 – September 13, 2010) was the tenth general president of the Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1974 to 1984. She was the first Relief Society General Pre ...

in the general presidency of the

Relief Society The Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, United States, and has more than 7 million members in over 1 ...

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ...

(LDS Church). Cannon was also a prominent

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

in the church and was among the first to preach to

black people Black is a racialized classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin; in certain countries, often ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. Born in

Ogden Ogden may refer to: Places Canada *Ogden, Calgary, in Calgary, Alberta *Ogden, Quebec, a small municipality in the Eastern Townships * Ogdensville, British Columbia or Ogden City, alternate names for gold rush-era Seymour Arm, British Columbia *Og ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

, Janath Russell was educated at

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficia ...

. In 1941, she married

Edwin Q. Cannon Edwin Quayle "Ted" Cannon Jr. (May 6, 1918 – April 6, 2005) was a Utah politician and businessman and was a prominent leader and missionary in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Cannon was among the first missionari ...

in the

Salt Lake Temple The Salt Lake Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. At , it is the largest Latter-day Saint temple by floor area. Dedicated in 1893, it is the sixth templ ...

. From 1971 to 1974, Cannon and her husband served in the church's Switzerland

Mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

, while he was the

mission president Mission president is a priesthood leadership position in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). A mission president presides over a geographic area known as a mission and the missionaries serving in the mission. Depending o ...

. Upon their return to Utah in 1974, Cannon became the first counselor to Smith in the general presidency of the church's Relief Society. Cannon served in this capacity until 1978, when she was released so that she and her husband could become the first missionaries of the church to preach in "black Africa". They — along with Rendell and Rachel Mabey — preached in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of G ...

and

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...

baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

hundreds of converts, and established 27

branches A branch, sometimes called a ramus in botany, is a woody structural member connected to the central trunk of a tree (or sometimes a shrub). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs. The term ''twig'' usually ...

of the LDS Church in Nigeria and Ghana. The first convert baptized in Nigeria was

Anthony Obinna Anthony Uzodimma Obinna (April 15, 1928 – August 25, 1995), born in Umuelem Enyiogugu in Aboh Mbaise, (local government area of Imo State, Owerri) in Nigeria, was the first convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) ...

. In the late 1980s, Cannon and her husband were the directors of the LDS Church's visitors' center in Nauvoo,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

. In 1989, they served as interim leaders of the church's

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

Mission; during this time, the regular president of the mission was working on getting the church's

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

admitted to

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

. From 1989 to 1992, Cannon was the matron of the

Frankfurt Germany Temple The Frankfurt Germany Temple is the 43rd constructed and 41st operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Located in the city of Friedrichsdorf, Germany, it was built with the same general architecture as the ...

, while her husband served as the

temple president Temple president is a priesthood leadership position in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). A temple president's primary responsibility is to supervise the affairs of an LDS temple in both an administrative and spiritual ...

. Cannon was a member of the

Mormon Tabernacle Choir The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, is an American choir, acting as part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It has performed in the Salt Lake Tabernacle for ov ...

for 18 years and during this time edited the choir's newsletter, ''Keeping Tab''. Cannon was the editor or author of a number of books on LDS Church-related topics. Cannon died in

Bountiful, Utah Bountiful is Davis city. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 42,552, a three percent increase over the 2000 figure of 41,301. The city grew rapidly during the suburb growth of the late 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s and was Davis County's ...

, and was buried in the

Salt Lake City Cemetery The Salt Lake City Cemetery is a cemetery in northeastern Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, that is one of the largest city-operated cemeteries in the United States. Description The cemetery is located above 4th Avenue and east of N Street in ...

Publications

*Janath R. Cannon (ed.) (1991). ''Nauvoo Panorama: Views of Nauvoo Before, During, and After Its Rise, Fall, and Restoration'' (Nauvoo, Ill.: Nauvoo Restoration Inc.) *

Jill Mulvay Derr Jill Mulvay Derr (born September 8, 1948) was a senior research historian in the Church History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 2005 to 2011. She previously served as Managing Director of the Joseph F ...

, Janath Russell Cannon, and

Maureen Ursenbach Beecher Maureen Ursenbach Beecher (born March 19, 1935) is a historian and editor of the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). She studied at Brigham Young University (BYU) and the University of Utah. She worked in the Hi ...

(2002). ''Women of Covenant: The Story of Relief Society'' (Salt Lake City, Utah:

Deseret Book Deseret Book () is an American publishing company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that also operates a chain of bookstores throughout the western United States. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation (DMC), the ...

)

References

Alexander B. Morrison Alexander Baillie Morrison (22 December 1930 – 12 February 2018) was a Canadian scientist, academic, and public servant and was a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1987 until his death. Prof ...

(1990). ''The Dawning of a Brighter Day: The Church in Black Africa'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book)
"Former LDS leader Janath Cannon dies
''

Deseret Morning News The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...

'', 2007-07-14, p. B8 *''2008 Deseret Morning News Church Almanac'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Morning News, 2007) {{DEFAULTSORT:Cannon, Janath R. 1918 births 2007 deaths 20th-century Mormon missionaries American expatriates in Nigeria American Mormon missionaries in Germany American Mormon missionaries in Switzerland American Mormon missionaries in the United States Burials at Salt Lake City Cemetery Cannon family Counselors in the General Presidency of the Relief Society Editors of Latter Day Saint publications Female Mormon missionaries Mission presidents (LDS Church) American Mormon missionaries in Ghana Mormon missionaries in Nigeria Tabernacle Choir members Mormonism and race People from Ogden, Utah People from Salt Lake City Temple presidents and matrons (LDS Church) Wellesley College alumni American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 20th-century American musicians Latter Day Saints from Utah