Hugh J. Cannon

''■V., < Improvement Era Vol. XXXI APRIL, 1928 No. 6 Hugh J. Cannon By Bryant S. Hinckley, President of the Liberty Stake of Zion THE appointment of Hugh J. Cannon to succeed the late be- loved Edward H. Anderson as associate editor of the Im- provement Era was gratifying to all who enjoy the advantage of his acquaintance. His training and experience eminently fit him for the responsibilities of this new appointment. The high stand- dard maintained by the Era in the past will not be impaired under his editorial supervision. The writer of this sketch speaks out of a long and intimate ac- quaintance with the new appointee, and speaks with confidence concerning his ability as a writer and his sterling worth as a man. Hugh J. Cannon is, by instinct and training, a gentleman, modest, dignified and genial, full of human sympathy, tender and considerate; but in no sense lacking in the sterner virtues of cour- age, loyalty and dependability. He inherited from his illustrious father, George Q. Cannon, unusual literary ability and a sublime and beautiful faith, both of which he has cultivated. He has a clear understanding of the great fundamentals of the gospel of Jesus Christ and few other men of his years have given more generously of their time and means for its promulgation. He is the son of George Q., and Sarah Jenne Cannon, and was born January 19, 1870, in Salt Lake City, Utah. His mother, in her 88th year, is still mentally alert. He received his early education in a private school, taught by George M. Cannon, on the old Cannon farm near the Jordan river, and from there he went to the University of Utah. Subsequently, he became proficient in shorthand and typewriting. As a young man, he learned the nursery business and for a time was a partner in this business with the late Martin Christopherson. At the age of twenty, he was called on his first mission to Germany. He had been there about a year and a half when his brother, David, who was laboring in the same mission, contracted

454 IMPROVEMENT ERA a cold through exposure and died. Hugh J. brought his remains home. Soon after his return he engaged in the mining business in Nevada. At that time Nevada was a new and sparsely settled coun- try, untouched by the refining influences of civilization. He was thrown in contact with a rough and belligerent element, situations arose which required great physical courage; but, under the most dangerous situations, there was no faltering or hesitation on his part. Mild and peace-loving, when cries arose, he exhibited a fighting courage of the finest quality. Out of this frontier ex- perience he gathered material for some thrilling stories which have received favorable comment from competent critics. He subsequently engaged in the publishing business in Salt Lake City, in connection with the interests of his father, and was manager of the George Q. Cannon &> Sons Company, one of the pioneer publishing houses of Utah, at the time this company was sold. He was made a member of the Deseret Sunday School Union Board December 29, 1896, and continued until April 3, 1923. In 1901, he went on his second mission to Germany and was presiding over that mission when he was made president of Liberty stake, February 26, 1904. This mission covered a period of three and one-half years. In 1920, while he was presiding over Liberty stake, he was called by the First Presidency to accompany Elder David O. McKay in a tour of the world, visiting all the missions of the Church except those in the United States. This required more than a year's time. During the administration of Governor Charles R. Mabey, he was head of the Bureau of Food Products of the State of Utah. In 1925, he was again called to preside over the Swiss-German mission and was presiding there at the time of his appointment as associate editor. As a boy, he was active in the various quorums of the priest- hood and in the local auxiliary organizations. He has been on three missions to Germany, covering a period of seven and a half years, one year was spent in the world tour, which makes a total of eight and a half years of missionary work abroad, twenty years as president of Liberty stake and twenty-seven years as a member of the Deseret Sunday School Union Board. He is now fifty-eight years of age. As stated before, while he was presiding over the Swiss-Ger- man mission, he was made president of Liberty stake at the time

HUGH J. CANNON 455 it was organized, returning six months after his appointment to assume the responsibility of his new office. For twenty years thereafter he presided as president of the stake. During this time the stake made marked progress, the popula- tion more than doubled, a number of wards were organized, new chapels were erected and many important changes and improve- ments were made along the line. The conduct of this work reflects great credit upon his ability as an organizer and his capacity as a leader. His administration was marked by wisdom, tolerance and a sympathetic understanding of the problems of the people. His leadership was the kind that secures a cheerful and gratuitous fol- lowing, a leadership built upon confidence in mankind and a settled faith in God, consequently a leadership that inspires faith and awakens noble endeavor. He can repair with pride and satisfaction to his record as president of the Liberty stake of Zion. He brings to his new calling a ripe experience. He has grown up in the publishing business, has traveled extensively, has had wide contact with men and affairs and has become familiar with world conditions. This has bred in him a fine spirit of tolerance and has given him an elevation from which to view many questions that must find consideration at his hands. As editor of a magazine which represents the Latter-day Saints in the libraries and literary centers of the world, this experience and this preparation will be of inestimable value. It will be his privilege to meet many distinguished men and women who visit our people and our city; this he can do well and impressively. As a writer, he made his first contribution to the Juvenile Instructor, which at that time was owned and edited by his father, George Q. Cannon. Later he was associated with his brother, Frank J. Cannon, in the publishing of the Ogden Standard. While in Germany he wrote a number of articles for the Millennial Star, some of which were published as tracts. He kept a complete and interest- ing journal of his world tour and contributed a number of descriptive articles to the Deseret News, the Juvenile Instructor and the Era. He has an extraordinary memory, an easy, graceful style of writing" and a rare sense of humor. The opportunity which has come unasked to him has come at a period in his life when he is best fitted to meet its demands. He is a keen judge of men and has a good understanding of the motives that actuate them. He has an instinct for saying the right thing at the right time in the right way. One of his outstanding characteristics is mental poise. He

456 IMPROVEMENT ERA never loses his self-control, little things do not perturb him; he stands unafraid and undisturbed in the face of peril. There is something about his presence that banishes doubt and imparts a sense of security and peace. His friendship is de- lightful, constant and unwavering; his faith is simple, child-like and complete. His courage is of the quiet quality, controlled and directed by a seasoned and judicial mind. His contact with all classes of people is pleasant and whole- some. All his life he has mingled with young men, he understands their problems and he knows their hopes and aspirations and will fit admirably into his new place. The management and readers of the Era are to be congratulated upon his appointment. Example or Warning By Martin Luther "What a sin and a shame it is that it has come to this among us. that we are drawn away from, and permit ourselves to be drawn away from, the training of our young and the thought of what is best for them, until we ourselves are driven by natural impulse to the point of becoming an example to the heathen and in many ways a warning. * * * "Man is no unthinking beast, that neither cares for nor trains the thing to which he has given birth, but leaves it on the straw, as God said in Job 39, and is as hard toward his own as though it were not his, and leaves his eggs unprotected on the ground. * * * "And what benefit is it to us, with all our having and doing, if we are like the vain ecclesiastics and neglect that which is the most important thing in our lives; namely, the care of the young people. My opinion is that among the most obvious sins of the world none is so severely blamed by God and deserving of such terrible punishment as this very thing, which we do to the children, in that we fail to bring them up properly." — From a sermon of Martin Luther, addressed to the rulers of Germany. Freely translated from the sixteenth-century German by M. M. A.