Martha “Mattie” Hughes Cannon
Born July 1, 1857
Martha was born in Caernarvon, Wales, United Kingdom to Peter Hughes (1824-1861) and Elizabeth (Evans) Hughes Paul (1833-1923).
She emigrated with her family from England and arrived in New York on May 1, 1860 before traveling to Florence, Nebraska.
The family traveled West with the Joseph Horne Company on July 11, 1861.
Arrives in Salt Lake city September 13, 1861
Martha spent her first night in Salt lake on the grounds of the future City County Bldg.
In 1871 she began work as a type setter for the Deseret New and joined the staff of the Women’s Exponent.
She received her diploma from the University of Deseret (now the University of Utah) in 1878, a medical degree from the University of Michigan in 1880.
Dr. Martha Hughes finished her education receiving a degree in pharmaceuticals from the University of Pennsylvania in 1882 while simultaneously earning a degree from the National School of Elocution and Oratory in Philadelphia.
Martha Hughes Cannon. Photo courtesy of Utah State Historical Society
Martha Hughes Cannon. Photo courtesy of Utah State Historical Society
Resident physician at deseret hospital 1882
In 1884, Mattie married LDS church leader Angus M. Cannon, becoming his fourth polygamous wife, her first child followed soon after.
With a warrant being issued by the federal government for Dr. Cannon to testify against polygamy, Martha and her daughter took an extended trip to England until the warrant had expired.
in 1888 martha returned to utah to begin the first nurse’s training school
She addressed the Women’s Congress of the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893.
Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon became the first female state senator in Utah and the United States in 1896 after Utah gained statehood.
In 1898 Martha joined members of the National American Women’s Suffrage Association in speaking at the Seneca Falls 50th year celebration in Washington, D.C.
Cannon also testified before the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary of the positive effects of women having the vote in Utah in 1898.
Cannon, on left, with the state senate (and secretaries) in 1897. Photo courtesy of Utah State Historical Society
Mattie moved to CAlifornia in 1904
She became the vice president of the National Congress of Tuberculosis in 1904.
She died in Los Angeles on July 10, 1932. Martha is buried in Salt Lake City Cemetery next to her husband.