Martha (Mattie) Cannon led an extraordinary life of work, travel, and adventure. She brought the talents of healing, education, and hard work to the table.
In short
She was a qualified medical doctor and was the first female state senator in the United States. Cannon was a well-known member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was no mistake that Mattie dedicated her talents and passions to making a difference for the people of Utah.
More of the Story
As a child, Cannon knew she wanted to become a doctor. Mattie’s family could not afford to send her to medical school, but that didn’t stop her! She saved money by working as a typesetter for the Deseret News and teaching elementary school so she could pay to go to school.
Cannon earned several degrees from different schools. First, she earned a degree in chemistry from the University of Deseret (now the University of Utah). Then Cannon went to the University of Michigan–one of the only schools that admitted female students–and earned a medical degree. Mattie then went to a school in Philadelphia, where she earned a degree in pharmacy. Mattie returned to Utah in 1882 and became a doctor. Her goal was to help communities by educating others about health issues. She also studied oratory or the art of public speaking. Education was very important to Mattie!
Family Life
Mattie married Angus Cannon in Salt Lake City after she returned to medical school. Cannon was twenty-three years older than Mattie. He also practiced polygamy, which is a religious practice where a man marries more than one wife. Mattie believed her church’s teachings about plural marriage and agreed to become Cannon’s fourth wife.
The United States government had outlawed polygamy, making Mattie’s marriage not legal. She was afraid that her husband would go to jail. She had also helped several wives in polygamous marriages have babies and gave them other medical care. She worried that she might have to testify in court against them. She did not want her husband to go to jail or hurt her religious community, so she moved to England after she gave birth to her first child. Mattie lived in England until the LDS church announced the end of the practice of polygamy in 1890. She was then happy to move back to Utah.
First Female State Senator!
Cannon decided to jump into politics after she moved back to Utah. She supported women’s suffrage—or a woman’s right to vote—and she believed that women should have access to education and a voice in public issues. Cannon also continued to support polygamy. She thought plural marriage gave women more freedom.
Cannon once said when a woman thought “about something besides cookstoves and washtubs and baby flannels,” she “nine times out of ten” was also a “successful mother.” She believed that women could be active in religious, public, social, and political life and raise children.
She ran as a Democrat for State Senate District 6 in 1896. Her husband and one of her friends ran against her as candidates for the Republican Party. Mattie won the election, which means she beat her husband.
Cannon was the first woman elected to a state senate in the United States. Her work did not reflect her husband’s ideas or many other men’s ideas about essential issues in Utah. Mattie sponsored bills that promoted workers’ rights and education for people with disabilities, and she helped create the Utah State Board of Health.
Working for Improved Public Health
Cannon was a state senator for two terms and then served on the Utah State Board of Health. She hoped to educate the public about how to stop the spread of contagious diseases. She moved to Los Angeles in 1906. She believed that living near the ocean would improve her health. She practiced medicine in Los Angeles until she died in 1932. Throughout her life, Mattie used her talents for learning, medicine, and political activism to make a difference in the communities where she lived.
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