John Cannon

Who is John Cannon?

John Ashton Cannon was an English historian specialising in 18th-century British politics.

Cannon was educated at Hertford Grammar School where he gained a scholarship to Peterhouse, Cambridge, and gained his PhD at Bristol University. During his time at Bristol, he also became involved in Radio Bristol when it was first aired and was Chairman from 1970 to 1974.

In 1976 he was appointed Chairman of Modern History at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Dean of the Faculty of Arts in 1979. He was Pro Vice Chancellor from 1983 to 1986 and was also employed by the History of Parliament Trust. In recognition of his contribution to Education, he was awarded a CBE in 1985.

His edition of Junius's Letters has been described by Junius' entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography as the most "authoritative collection".

When Cannon wrote a review of E. P. Thompson's Whigs and Hunters that was critical of the book, Thompson replied that Cannon appeared to imply "that I am a shoddy historical craftsman throughout...capable of fabricating and falsifying evidence, changing the grounds of my argument to suit my whim, and subordinating the evidence to the "interests of progressive history"."