Former U.S. Sen. Cannon dies at age 90

Wednesday, March 6, 2002 | 11:21 a.m.

Howard Cannon, a World War II hero and four-term U.S. senator who became one of the state's most powerful and endearing figures of the last half century, died today. He was 90.

Cannon, a Democrat, was a lawyer who became a champion for Nevada on Capitol Hill, pushing Nellis Air Force Base before he was defeated in 1982 in one of the biggest political upsets in state history. In his career, Cannon, who rose to the rank of major general in the Air Force Reserve, also played a major role in the civil rights movement.

"It's a sad day for Nevada," Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said. "He represents the best in Nevada.

"He was a lawyer's lawyer," Goodman, a criminal defense lawyer, said. "He represented the people of this state with vigor and with great success. He will never be replaced."

Cannon, a Las Vegas resident for 56 years, died of congestive heart failure at 6:20 a.m. today at the Odyssey House Hospice. He had entered the facility on Monday and had been ill in recent months.

Services are pending.

Two-term Nevada Gov. and Sun Executive Editor Mike O'Callaghan, who worked for Cannon as a legislative aide, said Cannon's life resulted in great progress for the state and nation.

"He was a good man to work for and going into Senate meetings with him always gave me a feeling of pride," O'Callaghan said.

"He lived the American dream and his work helped millions of others enjoy that same dream. Howard's life has been a full experience which resulted in great progress for out state and nation."

Cannon led a fascinating life that he didn't much talk about, said former Democratic Sen. Richard Bryan, who cast his first vote for Cannon as a 21-year-old in 1958.

Bryan said Cannon had been shot down in World War II and found himself with co-pilot Frank Krebs, a future staffer, behind enemy lines. The two dressed as Dutch farmers to avoid capture, Bryan said. Cannon wrapped his neck with bandages to fake a throat injury to cover the fact that he couldn't speak Dutch. Cannon eventually reunited with U.S. troops.

In Congress Cannon helped build infrastructure in Southern Nevada, Bryan said. He was active as a lawmaker in advancing airport projects, securing water for Las Vegas through Lake Mead projects, and pushing programs at Nellis, where Cannon had a close relationship with military leaders, Bryan said.

"It is an enormous legacy for which I think he often failed to get credit," Bryan said.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., paid a birthday tribute to Cannon in a speech on the Senate floor in January, harkening back to Cannon's days as a boy lassoing wild horses. Reid said Cannon helped pay for his flying lessons with money he earned playing musical gigs.

"He was so personally committed to maintaining American military superiority that he test flew all new aircraft before voting for money to develop them," Reid said. "He helped preserve Nellis Air Force Base when it was threatened with funding cuts and worked to make Nellis one of the pre-eminent military installations in the world."

Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, said you don't have to look far to find many examples of Cannon's contributions to Nevada.

"When Nevada was in its infancy, he provided that strong foundation for all of the things to build upon," Perkins said. "He worked to bring this state so many things."

State Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, worked for Cannon in the spring of 1982 on a faculty internship from UNLV.

"He was so powerful," Titus said. "Being in his office was right in the thick of everything going on. He was powerful, but he was very low key, very amiable, very pleasant."

Cannon was born Jan. 26, 1912, in St. George, Utah, to Walter Cannon and the former Leah Sullivan. His father was a farmer and a banker. He came to Las Vegas in 1946 and became a measuring stick for Nevada politicians.

Cannon began his local political career in 1949, being elected as Las Vegas city attorney. He served 10 years in the post.

In his first bid for national office, in 1956, Cannon lost in the primary for Nevada's then-sole seat in the House of Representatives. Two years later, Cannon won what would be an extended stay in the Senate.

Cannon was re-elected in 1964, 1970 and 1976 -- rising to seventh in seniority in upper house. He lost in 1982 to Chic Hecht, who served one term.

Nowhere was Cannon's influence in helping Southern Nevada more evident than in his support for Nellis Air Force Base. Cannon 's role as a senior member of the Armed Services Committee helped the base grow by leaps and bounds.

He, along with Sen. Allen Bible, is credited establishing Nellis as a major military base.

If Cannon were remembered for nothing else, perhaps it should be for the vote he made that blazed the path for equal rights for all -- the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Cannon voted to end a filibuster by Southern Democrats, which led to the floor vote in favor of the civil rights legislation.

"My view simply was that it was something that needed to be done, and I was glad to help do it," Cannon said in an Aug. 6, 1995, Sun story. "I wasn't afraid that it would make things tough for me politically (back home)."

In the 1970s, Cannon was chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, he pushed for laws that deregulated the airline and trucking industries.

He spent 10 years in Washington as a consultant in the 1980s and '90s before retiring to Las Vegas in 1995.

He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; one daughter, Nancy L. Downey, wife of William Downey of Las Vegas; one son, Alan Cannon of Las Vegas; one sister, Evelyn Jay of St. George, Utah; and four grandchildren, Brett Bjornsen of Roswell, Ga., Kayli Bjornsen and Tyler Downey, both of Las Vegas, and Kyla Cannon of Reno.

Sun reporters Benjamin Grove and Erin Neff contributed to this story.