George Q. Cannon, elder brother of Mary Alice Cannon

Because of the Prophet's striking figure and personality, many people immediately recognized him upon seeing him, without an introduction. Andrew Workman and Jane Snyder Richards later wrote that they "recognized him at first sight." As a young man, George Q. Cannon was with a group of immigrants who traveled up the Mississippi River by boat to Nauvoo. As a large concourse of people gathered to meet them, young Cannon identified the Prophet immediately, "He would have known him among ten thousand," Cannon later wrote in his biography of the Mormon leader, "There was that about him which to the author's eyes, distinguished him from all the men he had ever seen."

 Mary Alice Cannon Lambert also said:   I knew him the instant my eyes rested upon him, and at that moment I received my testimony that he was a Prophet of God, for I never had such a feeling for mortal man as thrilled my being when my eyes first rested upon Joseph Smith. He was not pointed out to me. I knew him from all the other men, and, child that I was (I was only fourteen) I knew that I saw a Prophet of God.

(Hyrum L. Andrus, Joseph Smith, the Man and the Seer [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1960], 7 - 8.)

Cannon, George Quayle, brother of Mary Alice Cannon, first counselor to presidents John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff and Lorenzo Snow successively, was born on Thursday, Jan. 11, 1827, in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. His parents, George Cannon and Ann Quayle, were natives of Peel, on the Isle of Man. The Cannon or Cannan family came originally from the borders of England and Scotland. The earliest mention of the name in the parish record of Kirk Michael, on the Isle of Man, is the burial in 1598, of one Marian Cannan. The name is spelled on the records both Cannan and Cannon, though Cannan appears to be the a earlier and more common style. The family removed from Scotland to the Isle of Man on account of political or religious troubles, in which they became involved, and they had to flee there for refuge. Several of the Cannons were engaged in the wars of that period. The name of the place, which has been owned by the family on the Isle of Man for nearly three hundred years, and which is still in the possession of an older branch (the present owner being a cousin of George Q.'s grandfather), is Cooilshallagh. Train, in his History of the Isle of Man, Vol. 1, page 85, note 2, alluding to this homestead, says: "Cooil, in the Manx language, signifies a 'hiding-place' ". He then mentions Cooilshallagh in Kirk Michael. Whether this place received its name from the Cannons because of it having proved a "hiding-place" or place of refuge for the family, does not appear, though it is not improbable. George Q. Cannon was the eldest of his parents' children. The other children were: Mary Alice Cannon, wife of the late Charles Lambert, of Salt Lake City; Anne Cannon widow of Brother Orrin N. Woodbury, of St. George, Angus M. Cannon; David H. Cannon; Lenora Cannon, the wife of Brother Robert Gardner, of St. George; and Elizabeth Cannon (the daughter of his father by a second marriage), the wife of Brother William Piggott of Bloomington. These are all alive and in full fellowship today in the Church. Miss Leonora Cannon, his father's sister, had a very intimate friend who married a gentleman by the name of Bacon, a colonel in the British army, who had received the appointment of Secretary to the governor of Canada. This friend exacted a promise from her that when she married and went to Canada, she (Miss Cannon) should accompany her on her wedding tour to that country. She kept the promise and sailed with her friend; and while in Canada, she being a devout Methodist and greatly attached to her religion, made the acquaintance of the late President John Taylor, who was at that time a local preacher in the Methodist church. This was in the city of Toronto. She had fully expected, when she left her home, to return there; but in consequence of a dream which she had, she felt convinced that it was her duty to accept the offer of marriage, which she had received from John Taylor, and remain in Canada. Some time after their marriage, Elder Parley P. Pratt visited Toronto, having been drawn there by the prayers of a number of persons who were diligently seeking for the truth, among whom President Taylor was very prominent. They felt that Methodism was not strictly in accordance with the Scriptures, and that there were many blessings and gifts which God had given to His church in ancient days, of which their church was destitute. They met together often, examined the Scriptures with great earnestness and care, and prayed fervently for additional light, and that, if there was a church on the earth which possessed these heavenly powers and gifts, they might be made acquainted with it. Elder Pratt's arrival in the city of Toronto in the summer of 1836 created some excitement. A few of this band of seekers after truth received his testimony and were baptized into the Church: among them Bro. John Taylor and his wife. The history of the events connected with Bro. Taylor's espousal of the truth are related in his own biography. Suffice it to say, that after his wife received the gospel, she was convinced in her own mind that her brother George would receive it also: for when she had, previous to her departure for Canada, reasoned with him and urged him to espouse religion, that his soul might be saved. He had, on one occasion, remarked to her that her religion could not satisfy him; that it was not according to the Bible, which he could prove to her. "But," continued he, "of what use is it for me to unsettle you in your faith; it gives you joy and satisfaction, and I cannot offer you anything better; but it would not satisfy me." From this and other conversations which they had had, she was convinced that he was only waiting for the true gospel to be preached to receive it gladly. When her husband, therefore, with the other brethren of the Twelve Apostles, took their mission to England in 1840, he repaired, upon his landing at Liverpool, to the house of his brother-in-law, George Cannon. The latter was not at home at the time, and after converging with his wife, he (President Taylor) returned to the vessel. After he went out of the house, George Q.'s mother remarked to him, he being then a child of twelve years of age, "Your Uncle is a man of God." As soon as he preached the gospel, therefore, to the family she was ready to be baptized, knowing for herself, as she said, that the principles which he taught were the true gospel of the Son of God. Her husband, George Cannon, the father of George Q., read the Book of Mormon through carefully twice before his baptism, and on laying it down after finishing it the second time, he remarked, "No wicked man could write such a book as this; and no good man would write it, unless it were true and he were commanded of God to do so." They joined the Church, and three of their children, who were old enough to enter the Church, were baptized some months afterwards (June 18, 1840). Upon hearing the doctrines of the Church taught by his uncle and his fellow-laborer, Elder Joseph Fielding, George Q., though so young, drank them in eagerly. He believed every word they said, and his joy was unbounded; for he had been a close reader of the Bible, and had asked his father why it was that the ancient gifts and blessings of the gospel were not manifested in these days as they were anciently. More than once he had wept because it had been his privilege to live in the days of the Savior and His Apostles and witness the mighty works which they performed. His gratitude to the Lord, therefore, was great when he learned that once more, and in his own days, the gospel had been restored to the earth in the plenitude of its power, and that the everlasting Priesthood had been again given to man to administer its ordinances. Long before his marriage, the father of the family had a dream concerning the death of his wife, and when emigration was talked about, they both seemed to be aware that she would not live to reach Zion. Her relatives remonstrated with her for going with the Saints, but in reply she said to them, that though she knew she never would live to reach the body of the Church, she was determined to undertake the journey for the sake of her children, and she never shrank at the prospect before her. The manifestation that they had received proved to be true. They started for Zion, sailing from Liverpool in the ship "Sidney," Sept. 17, 1842, but she died and was buried in the ocean. The family continued their Journey until they reached Nauvoo. The day after their arrival there was a large gathering of people at the steamboat landing to meet a company of Saints who had arrived from St. Louis. Among them were the Prophet Joseph, his brother Hyrum, and a number of other leading men who had gone there to welcome the people. Though no one had pointed the Prophet out to George Q., and he had never seen a portrait of him, he knew him instantly. It seemed to him as if he had always been acquainted with him, and that he would have known him to be the Prophet Joseph anywhere in the world. August 19, 1944, George Q. and his brothers and sisters were bereft of their father, who died at St, Louis while there on a short visit from Nauvoo. At that time President Taylor was editor and publisher of the "Times and Seasons" and the "Nauvoo Neighbor." George Q. Cannon learned the printing business in his office, having gone to live with him shortly after the arrival of the family at Nauvoo. From that time until October, 1849, he was a member of the household of President Taylor. He was ordained an Elder, under the hands of President Taylor, Feb. 9, 1845, and on the same day was ordained a Seventy and became a member of the 19th Quorum f Seventy. He acted in the capacity of clerk to that quorum for several years. In 1846 he traveled with the main body of the Saints from Nauvoo to Winter Quarters, and from Winter Quarters to Great Salt Lake valley in the summer of 1847, arriving in the valley on the 3rd of October of that year. During the two following years he was occupied in all the labors incident to the founding of Great Salt Lake City, and in the fall of 1849, with a number of other brethren, was called to go to California, under the direction of Brother Charles C. Rich. After a hazardous journey, during which they attempted to reach California by way of a "cut off" that added greatly to the dangers and duration of the trip, the company reached Lower California in a starving condition. During the remainder of 1849 and the greater part of 1850 he was in various parts of California, which had not then become a State. In the latter part of the summer of 1850 he was called, in company with nine others, to go on a mission to the Sandwich Islands. Elder Hiram Clark was appointed to preside. Apostle Charles C. Rich, before leaving for home, set them all apart, and they landed at Honolulu Dec. 12, 1850. Though they were sent to preach to the whites, the Elders soon saw Chat but little could be done among this class on the Islands. The majority of the Elders were in favor of returning without attempting to teach the natives; but Brother George Q., seeing himself surrounded by a whole nation which was ignorant of the principles of the gospel and who ought to be taught the message of salvation which God had empowered them to carry, was so powerfully impressed with the feeling that he ought to stay and warn the nation, that he declared that if all should leave, he would, though the youngest of the party, remain and learn the language and do his duty as an Elder to that people, even if he did not baptize a soul. Consequently he, together with Elders Henry W. Bigler, James Keeler, William Farrer and James Hawkins, remained, acquired the language, and were the means in the hands of God of bringing large numbers to the knowledge of the truth. George Q. acquired the language with great ease, and was soon able to preach and baptize, and organize branches. He also translated the Book of Mormon into the Hawaiian language. This translation demanded much care. Elder Cannon could get no aid from white men in this labor; but he had the assistance of several of the natives, who were, pretty well educated in their own language. He read his translation to them as it progressed, and conversed with them upon the principles to see if they obtained the same idea from the translation that the English edition gave to its readers. In this way he went through the whole book very carefully while the work of translation was going on. After the work was completed, he went through it again with a number of the best educated and most intelligent natives he could meet, all of whom were members of the Church. He afterwards examined the translation carefully with the aid of Brother William Farrer and a native who belonged to the Church, who was credited with being the best master of the Hawaiian language in the kingdom. When Elder Cannon, accompanied by other Elders, sailed from Honolulu on his return to America, July 29, 1854, there were upwards of four thousand members in the Church in Hawaii. Elder Cannon remained in San Francisco about six weeks, helping Brother Parley P. Pratt on his autobiography, and then repaired to San Bernardino, and thence traveled, in company with Elder Charles C. Rich, to Great Salt Lake City, where he arrived Nov. 28, 1854. Before returning from the Islands, he was chosen to be one of the presidents of the 30th Quorum of Seventy, and upon his arrival at Great Salt Lake City was set apart to that position. He was soon afterwards notified to prepare for another mission to the Islands, as the. Elders there desired him to return and take charge of the press which he and they had purchased, and which had arrived after his departure. Subsequently, however, the press and printing materials, with the stock of paper sent with it, were forwarded to Elder Parley P. Pratt, at San Francisco, and he wrote to the First Presidency desiring the return of Elder Cannon to California, to assist him in the publication of a paper; the prospectus of which he had issued. Consequently, Elder Geo. Q. Cannon left Great Salt Lake City May 10, 1855, accompanied by his wife and two missionaries-Elders Joseph Bull and Matthew F. Wilkie-having been appointed to publish the Book of Mormon in the Hawaiian language and to assist Elder Parley P. Pratt in the publication of a paper. Elder Orson Hyde, who was appointed at the same time to establish a settlement at Carson Valley and to labor in California, had also been instructed to assist in this work. Upon Brother Cannon's arrival at San Francisco, he found that Elder Parley P. Pratt had started on his return home. He followed him to the place appointed for the camp to start from, and had an interview with him, and was by him set apart to preside over the mission in California and Oregon. The difficulties which he had to contend with in establishing an office in San Francisco, in printing the Book of Mormon, and afterwards in the publication of the "Western Standard," form a very interesting chapter of history. It required great energy and the exercise of much faith and perseverance to accomplish the work entrusted to them; but the mission was a successful one. In printing the book, he had no one to help him read the proofs, as Brothers Bull and Wilkie, who set the type, could not understand the language, though they acquired remarkable facility before the work was finished in reading the manuscript and setting the type. His method of reading the proofs was to have his wife read from the English Book of Mormon, while he read the proofs in Hawaiian, and, from his familiarity with the language, he was able to correct the proofs. The entire translation thus underwent three revisions, in addition to the first reading and examination. The book was printed and bound and sent to the Islands; the "Western Standard" was published, and did creditable work in defending and advocating the principles of the gospel. When the news of the march of Buchanan's army and the attitude assumed by Governor Brigham Young and the Saints in regard thereto reached California, it created great excitement; and as it was thought that perhaps evil would befall the army, it was strongly advocated in one or two of the leading journals that George Q. Cannon should be seized and held as a hostage for the safety of the officers of the army. All this talk, however, was confined to the newspapers. Before matters had progressed that far, he thought it wise under the circumstances to send his wife and child home with those who were leaving for Utah and in charge of his brother David, who had joined him on a mission in California. He remained to attend to affairs there until Elder Orson Pratt, Ezra T. Benson, John A. Ray, John M. Kay, William Miller and John Scott came to San Francisco from England, on their way to the Valley. Under the counsel of the two Apostles he wound up his business and arranged the affairs of the mission to the best possible advantage, and left with them for Great Salt Lake City, by way of San Bernardino. He reached the city Jan. 19, 1858. On the night of his arrival home he was appointed adjutant in the standing army that was being organized for defense, and from that time until the move southward was decided upon the ensuing spring, he was busily engaged in organizing and arranging for service. After the decision was reached that Great Salt Lake City and the settlements north should be abandoned with the view to their being burned, President Young appointed Brother George Q. Cannon to take the "Deseret News" press and a portion of its material, with a few printers, and move to Fillmore, where the President wished that paper to be issued in reduced size. He reached Fillmore in April, and from that time until the succeeding September published the paper there. On his return from Fillmore with his family, he was met at Payson, Utah county, in September, 1858, by a messenger from President Young, who bore a note to him, in which it was stated that he had been appointed a mission to the Eastern States, and that a company of brethren were waiting for him who expected to start the next day. As the note was dated on Sunday, and the next day was the day that he received the message, he saw that there was no time to be lost. He had just stopped for dinner at the house of Brother Wm. B. Preston, who was then residing at Payson. In three-quarters of an hour after receiving the message he was ready for his mission, and left his family on the road side, in the care of his brother David, who was but a youth, and to the tender mercies of his Heavenly Father. He had no home in Great Salt Lake City or anywhere else, but he felt that the same kind Providence which had blessed him thus far in his life, would still care for his loved ones, if he manifested willingness to do his duty. Probably this was as short a notice as any Elder in the Church ever received for a mission of such duration. He reached Great Salt Lake City the next morning before daylight, and after receiving his instructions, started the same day for the States, and was gone only a few days short of two years. This mission was of a semi-political character. At the time that Buchanan's army had been sent to Utah the whole country had been flooded with misrepresentations and falsehoods concerning Utah and its condition. These falsehoods had furnished the administration with a basis for its action in sending the army. It had been charged that the court records and the Territorial library had been destroyed, that the lives of the federal judges had been threatened and endangered, and that Utah was in a state of rebellion. The whole affair had been ingeniously and artfully worked up by persons who were interested in creating hostility between the general government and the people of Utah. Besides the politicians, the contractors were deeply interested in the scheme, and it became literally a contractors' war; for the government made the most extravagant contracts for transportation, etc., with various parties who in many instances had contributed to create the prejudice against the people of Utah, and who were in this way profiting by their villainous schemes. When the peace commissioners, sent by President Buchanan, came to Utah, they found how baseless the stories were which had obtained currency in the country. Governor Cumming had already informed the government that the court records and territorial library were intact, and that he had found upon his arrival here that the government had been grossly deceived. These representations had been made and authenticated, but scarcely a word had been permitted to leak out to give the public a true knowledge of the situation. The feeling in the United States was very general that Utah had actually been in rebellion, and that the "Mormons" merited severe punishment. It was to help correct these falsehoods that Brother George Q. was sent to the States. By means of influential friends, especially the late General Thomas L. Kane, he secured excellent letters of introduction to leading editors and to Prominent senators and members of Congress, and labored assiduously to bring a true knowledge of the condition of affairs to public men generally. By this means much ignorance which existed concerning Utah and her people was removed, and many falsehoods were corrected. Besides attending to this business, he had been appointed to take charge of the branches of the Church in the East, and in 1859 and 1860 he acted as agent of the emigration at New York. He also purchased oxen, wagons and provisions for the people at the frontiers and organized them into companies to cross the plains. In this labor at Florence the first year (1859) he worked with the late Elder Joseph W. Young, being assisted also by the experienced supervision of President Horace S. Eldredge. While on that mission he received notification from the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles that he had been chosen to fill the place made vacant in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles by the death of Elder Parley P. Pratt. He was selected to this office Oct. 22, 1859, and his ordination took place, after his return from his mission, Aug. 26, 1860. He was ordained by President Brigham Young. Six weeks after his return he started on another mission, being appointed, together with Elders Chas. C. Rich and Amasa M. Lyman (who had preceded him to Liverpool), to preside over the European Mission. The duties assigned him by the First Presidency were to take charge of the "Millennial Star" and the publishing business connected therewith, and also of the business of the emigration. He reached Liverpool on the night of Dec. 21, 1860. Soon after his arrival he established a Church printing office, the printing for the Church up to that time having been done by contract with other offices. These three Apostles presided over the European Mission until May 14, 1862, when Elders Amass M. Lyman and Charles C. Rich returned home, and Elder George Q. Cannon repaired to Washington, D.C., to which place he had been called by a dispatch from home, which informed him that he and Hon. W. H. Hooper had been lected United States Senators, and that he was to join Brother Hooper at Washington and endeavor to get the Territory admitted into the Union as a State. They labored faithfully in this direction until the adjournment of Congress; after which Brother George Q. returned again to England, reaching there July 26, 1862: and from that time until his return home in 1864, he presided over the European Mission, visiting twice the branches of the Church in Scandinavia, Germany, Holland, Switzerland and France. During the four years he was on this mission and in charge of the emigration business, there were upwards of thirteen thousand Saints shipped from Liverpool for Zion, and it was a cause of pleasure to all engaged in the work at that time to know that more souls had joined the Church during the same period than had emigrated. In company with Elder John W. Young he sailed from Liverpool Aug. 27, 1864, but they were detained in New York and at Atchison by an Indian war, in which the settlements on the frontiers and many of the stage stations were destroyed. They went through by the first stage after the interruption and incurred considerable risk in making the journey. His return from this mission was almost fifteen years to a day from the time of his departure in 1849 on his first mission. During these fifteen years he had been constantly away from Great Salt Lake City on missions with the exception of about nine months. Upon his arrival home at this time President Brigham Young desired him to be his private secretary. He acted in this capacity for the three succeeding years. The comparatively barren results of the labors of the Elders abroad in the missionary field had drawn his attention to the vast field of usefulness open and only imperfectly occupied at home. Thousands of children were growing up, whose opportunities for becoming acquainted with the doctrines and history of the Church were too meagre. During the winter after his return from Europe (1864-65) he organized and taught a Sunday school in the 14th Ward of Great Salt Lake City. In January, 1866, he commenced the publication of the "Juvenile Instructors" designed expressly for the education and elevation of the young. This periodical has now entered upon the thirty-sixth year of its publication, and has been of great value in giving to the children and youth of Zion a knowledge of the principles of the gospel and of the historical events connected with the establishment of the Latter-day Saints Sunday Schools. George Q. Cannon's name has always been identified with the Sunday school movement. At the organization of the Sunday School Union in 1867, he was made general superintendent, which position he held till the last day of his earthly career. His heart was in this work and thousands upon thousands of the children of Zion will revere his name and memory. He was also a strong supporter of the other Church schools He was a member of the General Board of Education from the day of its organization, April 5, 1888, and never relaxed his interest and energies in that capacity. Besides his labors on the "Juvenile Instructor" he wrote many interesting works, such as "My First Mission," "Life of Joseph Smith," "Life of Nephi," "The Latter-day Prophet," etc.; and assisted in writing "The Life of Brigham Young," and other publications. In the fall of 1867, by the appointment of President Brigham Young, he took charge of the "Deseret News" and issued a daily edition this being the commencement of the "Deseret Evening News." For a number of years he continued to occupy the position of editor and publisher of the "Deseret News," traveling, as circumstances would permit, with the First Presidency and the Twelve, during the summer months through the various settlements and holding meetings with them, as was the custom in those days, every year. During the fall of 1871 a great many articles appeared in various papers on the subject of admitting Utah into the Union as a State, on the condition that the Latter-day Saints relinquish their practice of plural marriage. So much was said in favor of, and so little said in opposition to, this method of dealing with the question, that Presidents Brigham Young and Geo. A. Smith, who were then at St. George, felt that there was danger of the Latter-day Saints being put in a false position, and they telegraphed Brother George Q. Cannon to proceed at once to Washington, D.C., and define the true position of the Saints on this importat point. He remained in Washington until Congress adjourned for the holidays, when he returned to Utah. A constitutional convention met early in February, 1872, and he was elected a member and helped to frame the constitution which was then adopted. Together with Hon. Thomas Fitch and Hon. Frank Fuller, he was chosen a delegate to present the constitution to Congress and work for Utah's admission as a State. With them he proceeded to Washington, and remained there with Delegate Hooper, until the adjournment of that session. Upon Brother Hooper declining to be again nominated for delegate, George Q. Cannon was nominated and elected in August, 1872. He spent the next winter with Delegate Hooper, at Washington. At four successive elections he carried the Territory as delegate to Congress by a very heavy majority in his favor. The history of the part he took in Congress during his terms of office, and the success of his efforts and labors in that capacity, form an important chapter in the history of the Latter-day Saints, and, when compiled, will prove interesting reading. To the chagrin of a great many enemies, and to the surprise of many of the Latter-day Saints, he obtained his seat when first elected, though a most determined effort was made to prevent this. It was only by Governor Murray breaking his official oath, and being guilty of an infamous abuse of the authority of his position, that he was refused his certificate of election in 1881. Though George Q. Cannon had been elected by a vote of 18,568-a majority of 17,211 votes over his competitor-this man Murray determined to bring matters to an issue by refusing to give him the certificate of election, but which he gave to his opponent, who had only received 1,357 out of 19,925 votes. But the instrument whom these conspirators used-for Murray was not alone in this conspiracy against the rights of the people-did not have the satisfaction of getting his seat. Congress was not prepared to readily join in a scheme of villainy of this transparent character, though there were many public men who hated the "Mormons" sufficiently to take advantage of the opportunity which Murray's perfidy offered to them. It was not, however, until the Edmunds bill had passed and become law-March 22, 1882-that Congress took action on the case. It is probable that a majority of the House could not have been secured in favor of denying George Q. Cannon his seat had not the Edmunds bill been passed; and this was rushed through with unceremonious and indecent haste, and by willfully and flagrantly trampling upon the rules of the House, in order to furnish members who had scruples respecting this transaction with a justifiable basis of action in voting against the measure. April 19, 1882, the case came before the House and was decided against the duly elected delegate taking his seat, by a vote of 123 against 79. Before, however, taking his departure from the place where he had labored for so many years, he had the opportunity of delivering a speech in vindication of his own case and that of the people whom he represented. President Brigham Young died Aug. 29, 1877. He had made his will in 1873 and had sent his son Brigham and Elder George Q. Cannon east to get a form of will that would be suitable to his circumstances and family relations. This will was adopted by him, and under his direction, Brother George Q. Cannon prepared it and was made the principal executor, Brigham Young, jun., and Albert Carrington being the co-executors. The settlement of this estate during 1875 and 1879 engrossed nearly his entire time when he was not in Washington. In 1879 a suit was commenced by some few dissatisfied heirs against the Church and against the executors. The executors were under $300,000 bonds, but Judge Boreman was determined to place them under additional bonds and so decided. This they refused to comply with, thinking the bonds they had already given sufficient for all purposes and they were adjudged by him guilty of contempt and ordered to the penitentiary. They accepted the alternative and went to the penitentiary, Aug. 4, 1879, and remained there upwards of three weeks, when they were released by action of Chief Justice Hunter, who had been recently appointed chief justice of the Territory. Shortly afterwards the suit was settled, and the settlement of the estate was proceeded with. Probably no estate in America had ever presented so many difficulties in the settlement as this had, because of the various interests involved and the number of heirs to be settled with. In October, 1880, the Church having been under the presidency of the Twelve Apostles for a little more than three years, the First Presidency was re-organized with John Taylor as President, George Q. Cannon as first counselor and Joseph F. Smith as second Counselor. In 1885, when the anti-polygamy raid under the Edmunds act was inaugurated, President Cannon accompanied President Taylor into seclusion, and they directed the affairs of the Church in secrecy, their residences being searched for them by deputy marshals on several occasions. Under counsel from president Taylor President Cannon took train for California, but was arrested at Humboldt Wells, Feb. 13, 1886. On the way back he fell from the train while in rapid motion and injured his face somewhat and was badly shaken up. Marshal Ireland sent for a company of soldiers to guard his prisoner, and he was brought into Salt Lake City under military escort. He was placed under bonds in $20,000 and again in $25,000, making the enormous sum of $45,000 while he was only charged with a simple misdemeanor, namely, living with his wives; but under two indictments for the same offense. The feeling against the "Mormon" leaders was so bitter, that President Taylor counseled him not to appear when his case was called, so his excessive bail was declared forfeited. But subsequently the amount was restored, an act of Congress being passed to reimburse him, he having previously settled in full with his sureties. In 1888 affairs having assumed a less passionate state in the courts, president Cannon surrendered himself to U. S. Marshal Dyer, Sept. 17, 1888, and was sentenced by Judge Sanford under the two indictments to 175 days' imprisonment and a fine of $450. He served the time and paid the fine and was released Feb. 21, 1889. At the decease of President Taylor, the Twelve Apostles again took charge of the Church, and Presidents Cannon and Smith resumed their places in the Quorum of the Apostles. On the accession of Wilford Woodruff to the presidency, George Q. Cannon was chosen again as first counselor and Joseph F. Smith as second counselor. After the death of President Woodruff, and when president Lorenzo Snow succeeded to the presidency Sept. 13, 1898, he also selected George Q. Cannon as his first counselor, and Jos. F. Smith as his second counselor. This was ratified at the general conference on Oct. 9th of the same year. President Cannon remained in this important position until his demise. In addition to the onerous duties of his position as one of the First Presidency of the Church, in which he traveled very extensively among the Stakes of Zion, attending conferences, dedicating meeting houses, counseling the people in things temporal and spiritual, he was engaged in many enterprises of importance to the public. He was a director in the Union Pacific Railroad company, and in the Salt Lake and Los Angeles. He founded the publishing and book firm of George Q. Cannon and Sons Co., of which he was president. He was president of the Utah Sugar Co.; vice president and director of Zion's Savings Bank and Trust Co.; director of the Co-op. Wagon and Machine Co.; president of Brigham Young Trust Co.; president of the Utah Light and Power Co.: director of the Bullion-Beck and Champion Mining Co.; also of the Grand Central Mining Co. He recently organized the George Q. Cannon association, of which he was the president, and in which he placed all his property. In the interest of these associations he took repeated trips to the East and the West and gave them each the benefit of his wisdom and experience. He was president of the Trans-Mississippi Commercial Congress for one term and attended all its sessions as a member with great regularity. He was also president and afterwards vice president of the Irrigation Congress and addressed its meetings on several occasions as an authority on irrigation and kindred affairs. Nov. 29, 1900, President Cannon, accompanied by a few friends, left Salt Lake to attend the jubilee of the Sandwich Islands mission, which was held December 12th and 13th. He landed at Honolulu December 10th, and the next day received the most magnificent greeting ever accorded a guest in Hawaii. The native Saints fairly adored him as the instrument in the hands of God in the introduction of the gospel among them. Some of them he baptized fifty years before. He was crowned with the yellow lei, the emblem of royalty. Several prominent people in the present and former governments also waited upon him During the festivities, lasting several days, he was honored and almost worshipped by the islanders. Ex-Queen Lilioukalani also attended a meeting at which he spoke half an hour in Hawaiian, which he was able to recall in a surprising manner. President Cannon afterwards visited the ex-queen, and at her request blessed her. On the day of his departure to return home he was literally covered with flowers. He arrived in Salt Lake City January 16th, and by request addressed the great Live-Stock convention which met in the Assembly Hall that morning, and was received with immense applause. The health of President Cannon had been occasionally interrupted by spells of sickness for some time before the fatal attack. He had been robust and strong until the fall from the train already mentioned. After that he experienced once in a while a weakness in contrast to his former vigor. While on visits to the East he was seized with serious symptoms. At New York in November, 1889, he was severely attacked with pneumonia, and but for his abstemious life and good constitution would probably have then succumbed. This undoubtedly prepared the way for the last illness that laid him low. Early in March, 1901, he was stricken with the grippe, which caused a number of unfavorable complications to arise; and it was decided that a change of climate would do him good. Consequently, he left Salt Lake City, March 13, 1901, for Monterey, Cal., where quarters were secured for him in a large and comfortable cottage situated on an eminence overlooking the bay, where he could receive the full benefits of the gentle ocean breezes: but the change failed to restore him to health, though his condition seemed to improve for a few days. He gradually grew worse and early on the morning of April 12, 1901, he passed away. The remains were brought home and the funeral took place from the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, April 16, 1901. President Cannon left, a large family-four wives and twenty-eight children-to mourn his demise. He was a good husband, a considerate parent and wise counselor, who always provided well for the needs of those dependent upon him. He was a strong advocate of the patriarchal family system, and was never happier than when surrounded by the members of his own household while some reunion was being held or birthday celebrated. He was firmly of the opinion that such occasions were productive of untold benefit. The last family gathering held at his home was just after return from Hawaii in January, when his seventy-fourth birthday observed in a most pleasant manner. President Cannon was a man of medium height, well rounded and erect. His shapely head, which in his younger days was crowned with a liberal growth of black hair, and his high, broad forehead, impressed everyone who met him. His nose was somewhat large and aquiline, almost approaching the Israelitish in contour; a pair of grey eyes, and a well-formed mouth expressed amicability and kindness at all times. He was a gifted speaker, and for many years he ranked among the foremost speakers of the nation. In his earlier experience he was much more deliberate in utterance than later in life. Added to his wide range of information and deep and sometimes tremendous earnestness, he was aided by a clear, resonant voice. When warmed to his theme he occasionally reached the highest flights of oratory, thrilling and captivating his hearers by the forcefulness of his thought and the persuasiveness of his address.