Christopher Black Cannon (born October 20, 1950) is an American politician who formerly served as a member of the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
, for the
Republican Party, representing the
third district of
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 it ...
from 1997 to 2009.
He was born in
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
and attended
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
(BYU) as well as
J. Reuben Clark Law School of BYU. From 1980 until 1996 he was a
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
, business owner, and venture capitalist, from which he became a millionaire. Other jobs include time as an associate solicitor for the
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...
from 1984 to 1986, and time as
Utah Republican Party
The Utah Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party in the U.S. state of Utah. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling all four of Utah's United States House of Representatives ...
finance chairman from 1992 until 1994. On June 24, 2008, he was defeated in the 2008
Republican Party third district primary by
Jason Chaffetz
Jason E. Chaffetz (; born March 26, 1967) is an American retired politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2009 until his resignation in 2017. He chaired the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from 2015 until 2017.
Ch ...
, former chief of staff to then-Utah Governor
Jon Huntsman Jr.
Family
Chris Cannon is part of the well-known
Cannon Family
The Cannon family is a prominent U.S. political family in the states of Utah, Nevada and Idaho which descends from the 19th century marriage of George Cannon and Ann Quayle before their emigration from Peel, Isle of Man. The family's most notabl ...
of Utah. His brother,
Joe Cannon is the former GOP State Party Chairman, and was appointed as Editor in Chief of the ''
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 ...
'' in November 2006. He is the third member of his family to serve in the House, but the first ''voting'' member. His great-grandfather,
George Q. Cannon
George Quayle Cannon (January 11, 1827 – April 12, 1901) was an early member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and served in the First Presidency under four successive pr ...
, was a nonvoting member of the House from 1873 to 1881, while Utah was still a territory, whose son
Frank Cannon was the state's first senator, as well as a non voting delegate.
Congressional career
In 1996, Cannon was the Republican candidate in Utah's 3rd District against
Democratic incumbent
Bill Orton
William Orton (September 22, 1948 – April 18, 2009) was an American Democratic politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Utah from 1991 to 1997.
Biography
Early life and education
Born in North Ogd ...
, who had managed to hold the seat for three terms (all by fairly large margins) despite its heavy Republican tilt. This time, however, the district's partisan lean proved too much for Orton to overcome, and Cannon defeated him by four points. He never faced another general election contest nearly that close, and was reelected five times.
Cannon first entered the national spotlight in 1999, when as a member of the
House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law, he was one of 13
House managers
An impeachment manager is a legislator appointed to serve as a prosecutor in an impeachment trial. They are also often called "House managers" or "House impeachment manager" when appointed from a legislative chamber that is called a "House of Repr ...
who prosecuted the case against President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
in
the impeachment trial in the U. S. Senate.
Cannon was named Chairman of the Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee at the beginning of the
108th Congress in January 2003, and has served as its ranking Republican from 2007 – 2009. He also served on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property.
Cannon was also a member of the
House Government Reform Committee
The Committee on Oversight and Reform is the main investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives.
The committee's broad jurisdiction and legislative authority make it one of the most influential and powerful panels in the ...
. He served on the Subcommittees on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources as well as Regulatory Affairs. Cannon was also a member of the
House Resources Committee, serving on the Energy and Mineral Resources and Forests and Forest Health Subcommittees.
In 2000, Cannon co-founded the Congressional Caucus to Fight and Control Methamphetamine, which has nearly 130 members from both major political parties in 2008.
In January 2001, Cannon hired
David Safavian
David Hossein Safavian (born August 4, 1967) is an American former lawyer who worked as a congressional aide, lobbyist, and later as a political appointee in the George W. Bush administration. A Republican, he served as Chief of Staff of the Unite ...
as his chief of staff. Safavian left on May 16, 2002, to take a position at the
General Services Administration
The General Services Administration (GSA) is an independent agency of the United States government established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. GSA supplies products and communications for U.S. gover ...
. Safavian was arrested in September 2005 in connection with the
Jack Abramoff
Jack Allan Abramoff (; born February 28, 1959) is an American lobbyist, businessman, film producer, writer, and convicted felon. He was at the center of an extensive corruption investigation led by Earl Devaney that resulted in his conviction ...
corruption case, and was convicted in June 2006 on four felony counts.
In January 2003, Cannon was elected chairman of the influential Western Caucus, an organization of over 50 Congressmen working on resource management issues.
He was a cosponsor of HR 2043, legislation that would provide voting representation for the
District of Columbia
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
. The bill also gives another Congressional seat to Utah.
Campaigns and challengers
Cannon was one of the most conservative members of the House. He has a lifetime rating of 96 from the
American Conservative Union
The American Conservative Union (ACU) is an American political organization that advocates for conservative policies, ranks politicians based on their level of conservatism, and organizes the Conservative Political Action Conference. Founded on ...
. This is not surprising, as he represented one of the most Republican districts in the nation. President Bush received 77% of the vote in the district in 2004, his second highest percentage for a congressional district not located in
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. However, during his last three reelection bids, he faced primary challengers running well to his right.
2004
In 2004, Cannon defeated Republican challenger Matt Throckmorton in the primary, getting 58.4% of the vote, in a race in which the major issue dividing the candidates was immigration policy. He then beat
Democratic opponent Beau Babka 63%–33% in the November race. Cannon spent more than $600,000 to defeat Throckmorton and Babka. Throckmorton raised $84,000; Babka spent $35,000. The spending imbalance was offset to some extent by immigration reform groups that attacked Cannon through billboards, ads and Web sites, though these did not support his Democratic opponent.
[Tad Walch]
"Cannon gets a challenger"
, ''Deseret Morning News'', October 11, 2005
2006
Primary
Cannon faced opposition in the primaries from a fellow Republican for the first five times he ran (and won), but his opposition in 2006 seemed potentially stronger. In October 2005, millionaire real estate developer
John D. Jacob announced that he would run against Cannon in 2006.
In May 2006, at the state GOP convention, Jacob surprised Cannon by winning 52 percent of the delegate ballots to Cannon's 48 percent—a shocking result for a five-term incumbent. Had Jacob won 60 percent of the delegate ballots, he would have won the nomination outright and ended Cannon's career.
Team America PAC
Thomas Gerard Tancredo (; born December 20, 1945) is an American politician from Colorado, who represented the state's sixth congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2009 as a Republican. He ran for Presi ...
, a PAC dedicated to strict immigration enforcement, spent $50,000 on a radio advertising campaign attacking Cannon for his views on immigration ("A vote for John Jacob is a vote for cleaning up the immigration mess Chris Cannon helped make.")
The Republican primary was held on June 27, 2006. Polls predicted a close race. However, Cannon received 32,306 votes (55.8%) and Jacob received 25,589 votes (44.2%).
General election
Cannon faced Democrat Christian Burridge, a consumer rights attorney and also a graduate of Brigham Young University's Law School, in November, as well as Jim Noorlander (
Constitution Party) and Phil Hallman (Libertarian party). In the general election, Cannon received 92,621 votes (58%), Burridge 51,396 (32%), Noorlander 14,116 (9%) and Hallman 1,998 votes (1%). Cannon's 58 percent was somewhat closer than expected, given the heavy Republican tilt of his district.
2008
In 2008, Cannon faced two primary opponents—
Jason Chaffetz
Jason E. Chaffetz (; born March 26, 1967) is an American retired politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2009 until his resignation in 2017. He chaired the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from 2015 until 2017.
Ch ...
, a businessman and chief of staff to Governor
Jon Huntsman, Jr.
Jon Meade Huntsman Jr. (born March 26, 1960) is an American businessman, diplomat and politician who served as the 16th Governor of Utah from 2005 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the Ambassador of the United States to ...
and David O. Leavitt, brother of former governor
Mike Leavitt
Michael Okerlund Leavitt (born February 11, 1951) is an American politician who served as the List of Governors of Utah, 14th Governor of Utah from 1993 to 2003 in the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, as Administrator of the E ...
. On the first ballot at the state convention, Chaffetz received 59.01% of the delegate vote to Cannon's 40.9%. Chaffetz fell a few hundred votes short of clinching the nomination outright. Leavitt was eliminated, and immediately endorsed Cannon. Young Leavitt supporters then walked into the convention hall with newly toted signs in support of Cannon, which ''The Salt Lake Tribune'' termed "likely a violation of the convention rules." The rule supposedly referred to is "Physical Arrangements – 3(d)" which states "No signs may be placed in or around the staging area of the arena or in the convention hall between bleachers in the main Assembly Hall, except as approved by the State Party," which prohibits the placement of signs in the convention hall, but not the carrying nor holding of signs. The supporters were asked to leave the hall by the state vice chairman and exited when called upon to do so.
In the June 24 runoff primary, Chaffetz beat Cannon by nearly 9,000 votes, 60%–40%, ending Cannon's congressional career. Immigration policy was again a significant issue. Cannon refused to meet with Chaffetz after the election to discuss the Transition.
Controversies
Premium Beef of Nebraska
Cannon's financial disclosure statements show that he gave a loan of between $50,000 to $100,000 to Gary Ruse, an executive and later president of First National Bank of Nebraska, in September 1996. The following year, the bank made a loan of $250,000 to the Premium Beef of Nebraska company, a kosher beef packing plant in which Cannon was a major investor. Ruse said in an interview he played no part in getting Cannon the loan. It was a decision, he said, that was made by the bank's board of directors; he had recused himself.
The Premium Beef plant operated for a little more than a year before closing its doors, after the rabbi who oversaw the preparation of the meat died. Cannon's chief of staff, Joe Hunter, said that the assets of the business were liquidated and Cannon repaid the loan to the Nebraska bank in 2001. The plant was sold to a
Hasidic Jewish
Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of conte ...
sect that took several years but finally reopened it in 2005. Ruse, who left the bank, was hired as manager for the reopened plant.
Cannon's personal loan to Ruse remains outstanding. Cannon spokesman Charles Isom said that Ruse made a payment on the loan in late 1996 and then payments on the interest in 2000 and 2001. According to Cannon's financial disclosure forms, Cannon collected between $200 and $1,000 in interest on Ruse's loan in 2000 and 2001. He did not collect interest in 2002 or 2003 and has not otherwise received interest payments.
[John Byrne]
"Congressman made personal loan to bank president shortly before bank extended him $250,000-plus loan"
''Raw Story'', January 18, 2006
Cannon's office stressed that the congressman has made repeated efforts to collect the loan. Cannon's most recent financial disclosure forms show the amount outstanding is still over $50,000.
Lobbying by brother Joe Cannon
Chris Cannon's brother,
Joseph Cannon, was chairman of the
Utah Republican Party
The Utah Republican Party is the affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party in the U.S. state of Utah. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling all four of Utah's United States House of Representatives ...
, a former business partner of his brother, and led a team of 10 lobbyists at
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, also known as Pillsbury, is a full-service law firm with a particular focus on the energy, financial services, real estate and technology industries. Based in the world's major financial, technology and energy ...
, a law and lobbying firm. From late 2006 to 2010, he served as editor of Utah's second-largest daily newspaper,
''Deseret Morning News'' (now ''Deseret News'').
Cannon acknowledged helping his brother's clients, pointing out that he had been active on the issue in the past before being approached by his brother. "If my wife decided to lobby, then we would probably say, 'No talking to my office.' I just don't see my brother in the same category," Cannon said.
[Ted Bridis]
"Lawmaker Helped Brother's Lobby Clients: Rep. Christopher Cannon of Utah acknowledges helping his brother's lobbying clients"
''Associated Press'', August 17, 2006
Cannon has a financial interest in his brother's success: The lobbyist owes him more than $250,000, according to the lawmaker's financial disclosure reports. The debt stems from Joseph Cannon's unsuccessful campaign for the U. S. Senate in 1992.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonpartisan advocacy organization, named Chris Cannon a "member to watch" on its list of "most corrupt" members of Congress for his dealings with his brother.
Obama autobiography
Cannon offered
Hertford College, Oxford
Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main ga ...
philosopher
Peter Millican
Peter Jeremy Roach Millican (born 1 March 1958) is Gilbert Ryle Fellow and Professor of Philosophy at Hertford College, University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. His primary interests include the philosophy of David Hume, philosophy of reli ...
$10,000 to prove that then-presidential candidate
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
's memoir ''
Dreams from My Father'' was ghostwritten by
Bill Ayers by using computer analysis to compare that work to Ayers' ''
Fugitive Days
''Fugitive Days'' is a memoir by Bill Ayers. Ayers chronicles his childhood, his radicalization, his days as a leader of the Weather Underground, and his days on the run from the US government. The book was originally published by Beacon Press in ...
''. During the
2008 US Presidential election
The 2008 United States presidential election was the 56th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 4, 2008. The Democratic ticket of Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, and Joe Biden, the senior senator from ...
, conservatives attempted to link Obama to Ayers, a former radical leader of the
Weather Underground
The Weather Underground was a Far-left politics, far-left militant organization first active in 1969, founded on the Ann Arbor, Michigan, Ann Arbor campus of the University of Michigan. Originally known as the Weathermen, the group was organiz ...
. Regarding the claim that Ayers authored Obama's book, Millican concluded "I feel totally confident that it is false".
Obama book under scrutiny"
United Press International
United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ...
, Nov. 2, 2008
Electoral history
*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1992, Nels J'Anthony received 384 votes. In 1996, John Phillip Langford received 270 votes. In 1998, write-ins received 20 votes. In 2000, Natural Law
Natural law ( la, ius naturale, ''lex naturalis'') is a system of law based on a close observation of human nature, and based on values intrinsic to human nature that can be deduced and applied independently of positive law (the express enacte ...
candidate Randall Tolpinrud received 852 votes. In 2002, John William Maurin received 1 vote. In 2004, Curtis Darrell James received 2,390 votes.
References
External links
*
*
Beyond Abramoff: Gambling lobbyist joined with anti-gambling congressman, derailed gambling bills
John Byrne, ''Raw Story'', September 1, 2005
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cannon, Chris
1950 births
1996 United States presidential electors
20th-century American politicians
21st-century American politicians
American people of Manx descent
Businesspeople from Salt Lake City
Cannon family
J. Reuben Clark Law School alumni
Latter Day Saints from Utah
Lawyers from Salt Lake City
Living people
People from Mapleton, Utah
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Utah
United States Department of the Interior officials
House managers for the impeachment trial of Bill Clinton