Philip Leonidas Cannon (June 28, 1850 – June 20, 1929) was an American banker and politician who served as the first

Lieutenant Governor of Delaware The lieutenant governor of Delaware is the second ranking executive officer of the U.S. state of Delaware. Lieutenant governors are elected for a term of four years in the same general election as the U.S. president and take office the following ...

from January 15, 1901, to January 17, 1905. Son of former Governor

William Cannon William Cannon (March 15, 1809 – March 1, 1865) was an American merchant and politician from Bridgeville, in Sussex County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party and later the Republican Party, who served in the Delaware General ...

, he was the first elected to the office under the

Delaware Constitution of 1897 The Constitution of the State of Delaware of 1897 is the fourth and current governing document for Delaware state government and has been in effect since its adoption on June 4 of that year. Executive The Governor is the executive officer of the ...

and served under 53rd Governor John Hunn.

Life and career

Born in Bridgeville, Sussex County,

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

, to parents William Cannon and Margaret Ann Barker, Cannon attended the Pennington Seminary and the Dickinson Grammar School and pursued the Latin Scientific Course at Dickinson College for two years starting in 1866. He did not graduate but went into business with his elder brother, Henry Pervis Cannon, operating a large farm and establishing a canning factory in 1881. However, he soon departed the cannery business to focus on banking and mercantile interests, serving as president of First National Bank of

Seaford, Delaware Seaford is a city located along the Nanticoke River in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census Bureau figures, the population of the city is 6,928, an increase of 3.4% from the 2000 census. It is part of the Salisbu ...

, from 1890 until his death. Cannon remained one of Delaware's largest landowners and progressive farmers, owning hundreds of acres of peach orchards. A member of the Republican Party, Cannon served as the first Lieutenant Governor of Delaware from 1901 to 1905. His name was bruited for US Senate, but nomination never materialized. He served as president of Delaware's Revenue and Taxation Commission until 1909 and as vice president of the state chapter of the

American Bankers Association The American Bankers Association (ABA) is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association for the U.S. banking industry, founded in 1875. They lobby for banks of all sizes and charters, including community banks, regional and money center banks, sav ...

(1908–1909). Cannon was a member of the Belles Lettres Literary Society and the Epilson chapter of

Phi Kappa Sigma Phi Kappa Sigma () is an international all-male college secret society and social fraternity. While nicknames differ from institution to institution, the most common nicknames for the fraternity are Skulls, Skullhouse, Phi Kap, and PKS (the fi ...

Personal life

Cannon married Hester Polk Jacobs on June 25, 1874. The couple had three children: William (born 1875), Curtis Leonidas (born 1883), and Philip Holland (born 1893). Cannon died at Beebe Hospital in

Lewes, Delaware Lewes ( ) is an incorporated city on the Delaware Bay in eastern Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population is 2,747. Along with neighboring Rehoboth Beach, Lewes is one of the principal cities of Delawar ...

, at the age of 78.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cannon, Philip L. 1850 births 1929 deaths Dickinson College alumni Delaware Republicans Lieutenant Governors of Delaware People from Bridgeville, Delaware 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American businesspeople American bankers