Howard Walter Cannon
Major General, U.S. Air Force

Howard Walter Cannon was born on 26 January 1912 in Saint George, UT. He attended the Arizona State Teacher's College and the University of Arizona law school. He became a lawyer in Arizona, Nevada and Utah, being accepted to the bar in all three states.

In World War II he served as a bomber pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps and its subsequent incarnation as the U.S. Army Air Forces. Assigned to the European Theater of Operations, he was shot down over the Netherlands in September 1944 and spent 42 days trying to return to the Allied lines with the assistance of the Dutch underground. Released from active duty in 1946, he joined the Army Air Forces Reserve until 1947, when he transitioned to the Air Force Reserve concurrent with the establishment of the U.S. Air Force as a separate service.

Continuing to fly in the Air Force Reserve, he achieved command pilot status and ultimately retired from the Air Force Reserve with the rank of Major General.

Medals and Awards

Silver Star Medal
Legion of Merit
Distinguished Flying Cross
Purple Heart
Air Medal (3 Awards)
Presidential Citation
French Croix de Guerre

Badges

Command Pilot Badge

In 1949 Cannon was elected city attorney of Las Vegas, NV, and was re-elected three times. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1958 and served four terms.

Honors

The passenger terminal at Reno-Tahoe International Airport is named after him.

The Cannon Center for Survey Research is also named after him.

Death and Burial

Howard Walter Cannon died on 6 March 2002 in Las Vegas, NV. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA.