[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 4 (Monday, January 28, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S161-S162]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO FORMER SENATOR HOWARD CANNON

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I spoke last Friday to Howard Cannon. Howard 
Cannon served the State of Nevada for 24 years in the Senate. The 
reason I spoke to him on Friday was because the next day--this past 
Saturday--was his 90th birthday.
  Howard Cannon has a great history. Howard Cannon has served his 
country well. For me, personally, I can remember when I was back here 
working as a Capitol Hill police officer and he was a Senator. I was 
going to law school. I attended law school full time during the daytime 
and then I worked a shift at night as a Capitol Police officer. Howard 
Cannon had previously been a bar examiner. To be a bar examiner in 
Nevada means you are one of the best lawyers in the State. It is a very 
exclusive group of people. They actually grade the bar exams for the 
people who take the bar to become lawyers.
  Howard Cannon, as I reflect back, becomes even more significant to 
me. I was a young man here going to law school and working, and he was 
a Senator tremendously burdened with responsibilities, but yet he took 
the time to have me in his office on more than one occasion to help me 
prepare for the bar examination. He did that when all the other 
activities were going on in the Senate. He wanted to make sure I 
understood how to prepare for a bar exam. This was done by a man who 
graded the exams.

  I pay tribute to Howard Cannon, my friend and fellow Nevadan, for all 
he has done for me personally over the years and all he has done for 
the State of Nevada and this country.
  Howard Cannon is a true American hero. On January 26, as I have 
indicated--last Saturday--he turned 90 years old. His service to Nevada 
and our Nation includes a lot of things, not the least of which is 24 
years as a U.S. Senator.
  During his youth, he enjoyed being a cowboy, lassoed wild horses, and 
broke them to ride. In fact, as a boy he used one of these horses to 
deliver newspapers to ranches in the area where he was raised.
  Today, even though he is 90 years old, he still gets up every morning 
and goes out into his yard to take care of his favorite horse, a 
palomino named Bandit.
  It isn't surprising that in growing up in the West, Howard Cannon, 
the son of a rancher, was comfortable with horses. But more 
surprisingly, he was comfortable playing the saxophone. He started a 
band called ``Howard Cannon and His Orchestra.'' He performed in small 
towns throughout the West, and he even went on a cruise ship and played 
in Japan.
  During law school, Howard pursued his fascination with airplanes and 
took flying lessons. He paid for those flying lessons with earnings 
from his musical gigs. He became an accomplished pilot and developed a 
lifelong passion for flying.
  I can remember on a number of occasions that he piloted airplanes in 
which I accompanied him around the State of Nevada while he was a 
Senator. I can remember specifically one airplane ride that I took from 
Lovelock, NV, to Las Vegas with Howard Cannon flying that airplane. I 
have many fond memories of Howard Cannon, but that certainly is one of 
them.
  He went into the U.S. military in 1941. He was about 10 years older 
than most people who went into the military, as indicated by his age 
now being 90 and the average World War II veteran is about 79. While in 
the Army, he served in a unit of combat engineers. But later he 
transferred to the Army Air Corps because they learned he was an 
experienced pilot.
  In September of 1944, Howard Cannon was the commander of a C-47 in 
which he was flying American paratroopers. This was before the Allied 
invasion into Europe. His plane was brought down by enemy fire. In 
fact, it came down in Nazi-occupied Holland. He had dropped these 
paratroopers near the Arnheim Bridge. He bailed out and parachuted 
behind enemy lines.
  For 42 days, 6 weeks--I have heard Senator Cannon tell this story; it 
is a wonderful story--with courage and creativity and the aid of Dutch 
farmers and underground police, he made his way out of Holland into 
Allied hands.

[[Page S162]]

  He had a picture on his wall in his Senate office--he now has it in 
his home--of two boys with an apple. The reason that was so important 
is, in his getting out of Holland, he always had to find two boys 
eating an apple. He, of course, would take a bite out of his apple. 
That meant it was safe to go where he wanted to go through enemy 
territory.
  As a consequence of his gallantry, of evading these German soldiers--
of course, if he had been caught he would have been executed--he was 
able to unite with American troops, and for his efforts he received a 
Purple Heart, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal 
with two oakleaf clusters, the French Croix de Guerre with Silver Star, 
the European Theatre Ribbon with eight Battle Stars, and a Presidential 
citation.
  After the war ended, Howard Cannon moved from Utah to Las Vegas where 
he settled with his wife Dorothy and they raised their daughter Nancy 
and son Alan.
  He served as a Las Vegas city attorney. He was a fine lawyer. He was 
elected in 1958 to the U.S. Senate. He accomplished so much for the 
State of Nevada.
  He had a personal commitment to the U.S. military based upon his 
patriotism but also based on the fact that he had been such an 
outstanding part of the U.S. military during the Second World War.
  When he was in the Senate, he test-flew all new aircraft before 
voting for money to develop them. He could fly those airplanes. He 
helped preserve Nellis Air Force Base when it was threatened with Air 
Force funding cuts and worked to make Nellis what is now the preeminent 
military installation for training American fighter pilots.
  Senator Cannon considers the impact he had on aviation, though, even 
more significant. His support of the Airport and Airways Development 
Act, and later airline deregulation, helped make air travel what it was 
prior to September 11.
  Howard Cannon's contributions enabled Nevada to attract more 
travelers and become the tourist capital of the world, one of the most 
popular destination resort areas in the world. He helped expand our 
Nation's transportation system. He served as chairman of the Senate 
Rules Committee. We were very proud of Howard Cannon at that time. And, 
of course, later he served as chairman of the Commerce Committee.
  He contributed so much for the State of Nevada, not the least of 
which was his farsightedness in providing money through the Congress 
for the Southern Nevada Water Project that has allowed Las Vegas to 
grow the way it has, drawing water out of the Colorado River. This was 
just one of his accomplishments, but he had numerous accomplishments.
  One reason I admire Howard Cannon so much is Nevada was and is a very 
conservative State, but he was willing to take political risks to do 
the right thing, as he demonstrated in 1964 when he voted for cloture, 
allowing the Civil Rights Act to come up for a vote. That was a very 
courageous vote for him. He voted for the Panama Canal Treaty, also 
politically dangerous. It hurt him, but he did it because he thought it 
was proper.
  Howard Cannon provides a legacy which endures. His work continues to 
have a positive impact on the country.
  On behalf of all the people of the State of Nevada and those people 
who served with him in the Senate, I thank Howard Cannon for his 
service.
  I also want to say a word about his lovely wife. I underscore that 
because she is the sweetest woman you could ever know. She was so nice 
and represented Howard and the State of Nevada so well in her duties as 
a Senator's wife. She was so instrumental in his success. Howard and 
Dorothy live in Las Vegas. He is a little bit hard of hearing, but 
other than that, he is physically very strong, as he was when he was in 
the Senate.
  Happy birthday, Howard.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Mexico.

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