Joseph Jenne Cannon (1877-1945)

A son of Cannon, George Q., Joseph was born in 1877 and served an LDS mission starting in 1899, first to Sweden, and then in England, after he was transferred in 1902. The following year he accompanied Apostle Francis M. Lyman to Russia and Finland, where they dedicated both lands for the preaching of the gospel. After returning from a mission, Joseph married Florence Groesbeck and then served a single term in the Utah House of Representatives from 1909 to 1911, while investigating business pursuits in Colombia.

His wife died unexpectedly in 1912 and Joseph remarried, to Ramona Wilcox, in 1913. For the rest of the decade, Joseph tried to build his business in Colombia, even moving his family there in 1919, but he ran into legal troubles in 1921 and returned to the U.S., where Joseph started a poultry farm and milk supply business. In 1930 he became Vice-President of the Theater's Guild in Salt Lake City and in 1931 he was named managing editor of the Deseret News. Just 3 years later he was called as president of the British Mission. On his return to the U.S., Joseph was called as President of the Temple Square Mission and named to the YMMIA General Board, where he served until his death in 1945.

During his life, Joseph maintained a strong interest in literature and writing, especially drama. He wrote several plays that were published by the YMMIA, and several others are among the family papers. In addition he wrote frequently for LDS publications