Martha Hughes Cannon

Martha Hughes Cannon
Member of the Utah Senate from the 6th district
In office January 11, 1897 – January 13, 1901
Preceded by	George Mousley Cannon
Succeeded by	Hoyt Sherman
Personal details
Born	Martha Maria Hughes (1857-07-01)July 1, 1857 Llandudno, Wales, UK
Died	July 10, 1932(1932-07-10) (aged 75) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Salt Lake City Cemetery
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Angus Cannon
Children	3
Relatives	James Paul (stepfather) Joshua Paul (half-brother) See Cannon family
Education	University of Utah (BS) University of Michigan (MD) University of Pennsylvania (BS) National School of Elocution and Oratory (BA)

Martha Maria "Mattie" Hughes Cannon (July 1, 1857 – July 10, 1932) was a Welsh-American politician, physician, Utah women's rights advocate, suffragist, and a polygamous wife. Her family immigrated to the United States as converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and traveled West to settle in the Utah territory with other church members. She started working at the age of fourteen, and at sixteen she enrolled in the University of Deseret (now called the University of Utah), receiving a bachelor's degree in Chemistry. She later attended the University of Michigan and received an M.D..

She became the fourth of six wives in a polygamous marriage to Angus M. Cannon, a prominent Latter-day Saint leader during the anti-polygamy crusade. Cannon exiled herself to Europe so she wouldn't have to testify against her husband and others. Upon returning to Utah, Cannon worked as a doctor and fought for women's rights. She helped put women enfranchisement into Utah's constitution when it was granted statehood in 1896. On November 3, 1896, Cannon became the first female state senator elected in the United States, defeating her own husband, who was also on the ballot. Cannon was the author of Utah sanitation laws and was a founder and member of Utah's first State Board of Health.^{[1]: 10–90 [2]}