Howard Cannon

Howard Cannon
Cannon while serving, c. 1962
United States Senator from Nevada
In office January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1983
Preceded by	George W. Malone
Succeeded by	Chic Hecht
Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee
In office January 3, 1978 – January 3, 1981
Preceded by	Warren Magnuson
Succeeded by	Bob Packwood
Chair of the Senate Rules Committee
In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1977
Preceded by	B. Everett Jordan
Succeeded by	Daniel Inouye
Personal details
Born	Howard Walter Cannon (1912-01-26)January 26, 1912 St. George, Utah, U.S.
Died	March 5, 2002(2002-03-05) (aged 90) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Resting place	Arlington National Cemetery
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Dorothy Pace ​ (m. 1945)​
Children	2
Relatives	Cannon family
Profession	Attorney
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1941–1946 (active); 1946–1947 (reserve)
Rank	Lieutenant colonel
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Silver Star Legion of Merit Distinguished Flying Cross Purple Heart Air Medal

Howard Walter Cannon (January 26, 1912 – March 5, 2002) was an American politician from Nevada. Elected to the first of four consecutive terms in 1958, he served in the United States Senate from 1959 to 1983. He was a member of the Democratic Party.

Born in St. George, Utah, Cannon graduated from Northern Arizona University and the University of Arizona Law School. In 1940, Cannon won his first election as county attorney for Washington County, Utah. The following year with the start of World War II, Cannon served in the United States Army for a year and then in the United States Army Air Corps from 1942 to 1946, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Cannon later served in the Army Air Forces Air Reserve as a major general.

In 1949, Cannon returned to politics, winning election as city attorney for Las Vegas, Nevada. After four consecutive terms in that office, Cannon defeated Republican incumbent U.S. Senator George W. Malone in the 1958 election. As senator, Cannon chaired multiple committees, including the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the Committee on Rules and Administration. Cannon also sponsored the Airline Deregulation Act, a bill signed into law by President Jimmy Carter in 1978 that lowered airfares through deregulation of the airline industry.

Cannon's final Senate term was mired in a scandal after the revelation of a 1979 meeting with Teamsters union president Roy Lee Williams where Cannon was offered a bribe to block the Motor Carrier Act of 1980. The scandal contributed to Cannon losing re-election in 1982 to Republican challenger Chic Hecht. After leaving the Senate, Cannon remained in Washington as an aviation and defense consultant for nearly a decade before retiring to Las Vegas in the mid-1990s.