Raymond Joseph Cannon | |
|---|---|
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWisconsin's4th district | |
| In office March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1939 | |
| Preceded by | John C. Schafer |
| Succeeded by | John C. Schafer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 26, 1894 |
| Died | November 25, 1951(1951-11-25) (aged 57) |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Alice Carey |
| Children | 3, includingRobert |
| Alma mater | Marquette University Law School |
| Profession | Baseball player,attorney |
Raymond Joseph Cannon (August 26, 1894 – November 25, 1951) was anattorney,baseball player andDemocratic politician who representedWisconsin's4th congressional district in theCongress from 1933 to 1939.[1]
Born inIronwood, Michigan, Cannon lost both of his parents when he was six months old, went to an orphanage briefly, then was taken in and raised by family members.
He played baseballsemi-professionally from 1908 to 1922, primarily as apitcher. He pitched against the Philadelphia Phillies in a spring training exhibition game in March 1918 and gave up 13 runs on 17 hits in 9-innings.[2] He also taught school inMinocqua, Wisconsin in 1910 and 1911.
He attendedMarquette University Law School inMilwaukee and was admitted to the bar in 1914. He became an earlysports attorney whose clients includedJack Dempsey. After theBlack Sox Scandal, he was retained by one of the blacklisted players,Happy Felsch (a Milwaukee native), who suedCharles Comiskey and theChicago White Sox for back pay, World Series money, and damages. Felsch's teammatesBuck Weaver,Shoeless Joe Jackson, andSwede Risberg also became Cannon's clients.[citation needed]
In 1922, he helped put together the short-livedNational Baseball Players Association of the United States, one of several unsuccessful attempts to create aunion for pro ball players.[3] It is believed that his association with the Black Sox hurt the NBPA, and may have contributed to its collapse.[4] In 1929 his law license was suspended, and Cannon was prevented from practicing until it was reinstated in 1931.
In 1932, Cannon was the Democratic nominee for the 4th District seat in the73rd United States Congress, unseatingRepublican incumbentJohn C. Schafer with 61,038 votes to 33,609 for Schafer and 24,377 forSocialistState RepresentativeWalter Polakowski.
In 1934, afterCardinal Dougherty of Philadelphia called for aRoman Catholicboycott of all films, Cannon (himself a Catholic) announced plans to introduce a congressional bill, supported by both Democrats and Republicans, which would introduce Government oversight of film censorship.[5]
Cannon was re-elected in 1934 with a 38.56% plurality in a five-way race (against Schafer, a Socialist, aProgressive, and anindependentCommunist; and in 1936 (a 47.25% plurality vs. Progressive Paul Gauer and Schafer).
In 1938, Cannon was unseated in the Democraticprimary byThad F. Wasielewski, but ran anyway as an independent. He lost his seat to Schafer, polling only 7,498 votes (7.02%) to Schafer's 34,196 (32.00%), Wasielewski's 33,559 (31.40%), and Progressive Gauer's 30,817 (28.84%); aUnion Party candidate polled 794 votes (0.74%).
Cannon later ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1940 and 1942.
He married Alice Carey in 1915, and they had three children:Robert, Mary Alice and Jeanne.Robert, the eldest, also became an attorney, and was elected as a Wisconsin Circuit and Wisconsin Appeals Court Judge, and served as legal advisor to theMajor League Baseball Players Association.
Cannon died in Milwaukee after suffering a heart attack.[6] He was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery & Mausoleum in Milwaukee.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromWisconsin's 4th congressional district March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1939 | Succeeded by |
