Lawrence Arthur Dumoulin Cannon

Who was Lawrence Arthur Dumoulin Cannon?

Lawrence Arthur Dumoulin Cannon was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.

Born in Arthabaska, Quebec, the son of Lawrence John Cannon and Aurélie Dumoulin, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1896 from Université Laval. In 1899 he received an LL.L also from Université Laval. He was called to the Bar in 1899 and practiced law. His brother was Lucien Cannon, a politician and cabinet minister.

In 1908, he was elected to the City council of Quebec City. In 1916, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec for the riding of Québec-Centre as a Liberal. He was re-elected in 1919 but was defeated in 1923.

He returned to private practice until he was appointed to the Court of King's Bench of Quebec in 1927. He was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1930 and served until his death in 1939.

Cannon helped create a powerful family legacy. The extended Cannon family would go on to have strong regional and national political influence in Canada for decades, members serving in positions as lawyers, judges, Supreme Court judges, senators, ministers of defence, solicitors general, and Members of Parliament.