| Raymond Joseph Cannon | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 4th district |
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| In office March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1939 |
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| Preceded by | John C. Schafer |
| Succeeded by | John C. Schafer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 26, 1894 Ironwood, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | November 25, 1951 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Spouse(s) | Alice (née Carey); 3 children |
| Alma mater | Marquette University Law School |
| Profession | Baseball player, attorney |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Raymond Joseph Cannon (August 26, 1894 - November 25, 1951) was an attorney, baseball player and Democratic politician who represented Wisconsin's 4th congressional district in the Congress from 1933 to 1939.[1]
Born in Ironwood, Michigan, Cannon lost both of his parents when he was six months old and he spent most of his early life in an orphanage. He attended Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee and was admitted to the bar in Wisconsin. From 1908 to 1922, he also worked as a part-time semi-professional baseball pitcher. He became an early sports attorney whose clients included Jack Dempsey. After the Black Sox Scandal, he was retained by one of the blacklisted players, Happy Felsch (a Milwaukee native), who sued Charles Comiskey and the Chicago White Sox for back pay, World Series money, and damages. Felsch's teammates Buck Weaver, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and Swede Risberg also became Cannon’s clients.
In 1922, he helped put together the short-lived National Baseball Players Association of the United States, one of several unsuccessful attempts to create a union for pro ball players.[2] It is believed that his association with the Black Sox hurt the NBPA, and may have contributed to its collapse.[3]
Cannon ran for Congress successfully in 1932 and held his seat for three terms. A Roman Catholic, Cannon planned to introduce, in 1934, after Cardinal Dougherty of Philadelphia called for a Catholic boycott of all films, a congressional bill, supported by both Democrats and Republicans which would introduce Government oversight of film censorship.[4] Cannon later ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1940 and 1942.
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He married Alice Carey in 1915, and they had three children: Robert, Mary and Jeanne. (Robert, the eldest, also became an attorney and served as legal advisor to the Major League Baseball Players Association.)
Cannon died in Milwaukee, aged 57, from undisclosed causes.
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John C. Schafer |
United States Representative for the 4th Congressional District of Wisconsin 1933 – 1939 |
Succeeded by John C. Schafer |