Sylvester Quayle Cannon (June 10, 1877 – May 29, 1943) was an American businessman, engineer, and religious leader who served as the sixth presiding bishop of

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 Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(LDS Church) from 1925 to 1938 and a member of church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from 1939 until his death. He was the son of George Q. Cannon, an

apostle An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...

and member of the church's

First Presidency Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...

Biography

Cannon was born in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th st ...

. He studied at the

University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...

and then at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

, where he received a B.S. degree in mining engineering. In 1899, Cannon began an LDS Church mission in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. Cannon then served from 1900 to 1902 as

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the church's

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

–Belgium Mission. Andrew Jenson, '' Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia'', vol. 4, pp. 351, 736. Cannon also served as Francis M. Lyman's secretary on a three-month trip to many nations along the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

and in the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

From 1916 to 1925, Cannon served as

of the Pioneer Stake in Salt Lake City. In 1925, Cannon became the Presiding Bishop of the LDS Church, succeeding Charles W. Nibley. Cannon's counselors were David A. Smith and John Wells. In 1938, Cannon was released as Presiding Bishop and was succeeded by

LeGrand Richards LeGrand Richards (February 6, 1886 – January 11, 1983) was a prominent missionary and leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He served as the seventh presiding bishop of the LDS Church from 1938 to 1952, an ...

. At the same time, Cannon was ordained an

and made an "associate" of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a unique position that had never been filled before. When Quorum member Melvin J. Ballard died the next year, Cannon became a full member of the Quorum; he served in this position until his death. Cannon died in Salt Lake City from encephalomalacia, or softening of the

brain The brain is an organ (biology), organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It consists of nervous tissue and is typically located in the head (cephalization), usually near organs for ...

.State of Utah Death Certificate
He was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery.

Notes

References

External links

*
Sylvester Q. Cannon letter, MSS SC 2594
at L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library,

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cannon, Sylvester Q. 1877 births 1943 deaths 19th-century Mormon missionaries 20th-century Mormon missionaries American Mormon missionaries in Belgium American Mormon missionaries in the Netherlands American general authorities (LDS Church) American people of Manx descent Apostles (LDS Church) Burials at Salt Lake City Cemetery Cannon family Clergy from Salt Lake City Latter Day Saints from Massachusetts Latter Day Saints from Utah MIT School of Engineering alumni Mission presidents (LDS Church) Religious leaders from Salt Lake City Presiding Bishops (LDS Church) University of Utah alumni

Biography

See also

Notes

References

External links