Howard Walter Cannon

Howard Walter Cannon was born January 26, 1912, in St. George, Utah. He earned a bachelor's degree in music education from Arizona State Teachers College (now Northern Arizona University) in 1933 and an LL.B. from the University of Arizona Law School in 1937. He was admitted to practice law in Arizona in 1937 and Utah in 1938, and served as county attorney for Washington County, Utah, in 1940. In 1946 he established his law offices in Las Vegas and was admitted to the Nevada bar, beginning a legal and public career that would make him one of the state's most enduring figures.

A decorated World War II aviator, Cannon flew as a troop carrier pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces, dropping paratroopers over Normandy and later being shot down over the Netherlands, where he evaded capture for weeks with the help of the Dutch underground. He retired from the Air Force Reserve with the rank of major general, and his decorations included the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart, and the Air Medal. In Las Vegas he entered public life as City Attorney beginning in 1949, serving four consecutive terms in that office.

In 1959 Cannon was elected to the United States Senate, where he represented Nevada for four terms until 1983. He chaired the Senate Rules Committee and the Commerce Committee and was a principal sponsor of the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978. He died March 5, 2002, in Las Vegas, Nevada, and was buried with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery.