William Cannon

William Cannon (March 15, 1809 – March 1, 1865) was an American merchant and politician from Bridgeville, in Sussex County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party and later the Republican Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly and as Governor of Delaware during much of the Civil War.

Early life and family Cannon was born at Bridgeville, in Sussex County, Delaware, the son of Josiah and Nancy Bowlin Cannon. He married Margaret Ann Barker and had six children. He began working in his father's merchandising business in Bridgeville, and gradually expanded it to include lumber, grain, grist and saw mills, and a brick yard. His business interests included peaches, banking, and newspaper publishing, and he was a director of the Delaware Railroad.

Cannon's eldest son, William Laws Cannon (1839–1863), served in the Union Army during the Civil War. He was the captain of Company E of the First Delaware Cavalry. The younger William contracted typhoid fever and died on August 18, 1863 during the Gettysburg campaign.

Governor of Delaware Cannon was elected as a Democrat to the state house for the 1845–46 session and the 1847–48 session. From 1849 until 1851 he was state treasurer. Although he had been a leader in the Democratic Party prior to the 1862 elections, at that time he switched parties and became a Republican. Delaware's political establishment was dominated by Democrats, but Cannon was staunchly in favor of the Union from the outset of the secession crisis.

Fearing an outbreak of violence as tensions were running high during the 1862 Delaware gubernatorial election, Delaware Republicans requested federal troops to protect the state's polling places. The troops came, supervised the election, and Cannon was elected, defeating Democrat Samuel Jefferson from New Castle County. However, Cannon faced a General Assembly with a Democratic majority in both houses. He had become ill, some said, after helping to extinguish a fire. He was almost 56 years old and the eighth governor to die in office.

Delaware General Assembly (sessions while Governor)YearAssemblySenate majoritySpeakerHouse majoritySpeaker1863–186472ndDemocraticJohn R. TatumDemocraticJohn Sorden1865–186673rdDemocraticGove SaulsburyDemocraticShephard P. Houston

Death and legacy Cannon died at Bridgeville, Delaware, and was buried there in the Bridgeville Methodist Cemetery. His son Philip L. Cannon became the first Lieutenant Governor of Delaware in 1901.

Electoral history Elections are held on the first Tuesday after November 1. Members of the Delaware General Assembly took office in the first Tuesday of January. State representatives have a term of two years. The governor takes office the third Tuesday in January, and has a four-year term.