Charles Albert Cannon
Encyclopedia
Charles Albert Cannon was born, lived and died in Concord, North Carolina
. the son of James William Cannon
and president of the Cannon Mills Company
from the 1920s to the 1960s.
Cannon Mills manufacturing plants were located mainly in Kannapolis, North Carolina
(from the Greek for city of looms) and Concord, North Carolina
. Kannapolis was the largest unincorporated town in the nation for many years. Due to the support of the Cannon family the YMCA in Kannapolis enjoyed one of the highest memberships in the nation and had excellent facilities. Cannon Mills headquarters was based in Concord, and the family mansion in downtown Concord is now part of the First Presbyterian Church complex.
There were multiple plants employing thousands of people during this time, running three shifts and producing sheets and towels.
Cannon was a great industrialist and involved in philanthropy in the community which included churches, schools, hospitals and libraries.
Many of the families that worked in the mill lived in company houses generally of clapboard with 2-3 bedrooms and one bath and rented to the employees by the company at very cheap rates.
The downtown of Kannapolis was in the Colonial style, mostly brick and very elegant and directly because of the Cannon family.
While there were no unions in any of the operations, work was generally good during this era, and many people from other communities flocked to Kannapolis during the Great Depression because of jobs. The mill was the prominent employer in the area and there were no other significant manufacturing operations during that time.
His grandson, Robin Hayes
, was a Republican
congressman from North Carolina.
Concord, North Carolina
Concord is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. According to Census 2010, the city has a current population of 79,066. It is the largest city in Cabarrus County and is the county seat. In terms of population, the city of Concord is the second largest city in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area...
. the son of James William Cannon
James William Cannon
James William Cannon was an industrialist, and founder of the Cannon Mills Corporation and the City of Kannapolis, North Carolina. He was the maker of the first towel ever made in the South. His son was Charles Albert Cannon and his great-grandson is Robin Hayes, a Republican congressman from...
and president of the Cannon Mills Company
Cannon Mills Company
The Cannon Mills Company was an American textile company founded by James William Cannon, based in Kannapolis, North Carolina. It was founded in 1888 and went bankrupt in July 2003...
from the 1920s to the 1960s.
Cannon Mills manufacturing plants were located mainly in Kannapolis, North Carolina
Kannapolis, North Carolina
Kannapolis is a city in Cabarrus and Rowan counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord and northeast of Charlotte. The population was 42,625 at the 2010 census, which makes Kannapolis the 20th largest city in North Carolina...
(from the Greek for city of looms) and Concord, North Carolina
Concord, North Carolina
Concord is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. According to Census 2010, the city has a current population of 79,066. It is the largest city in Cabarrus County and is the county seat. In terms of population, the city of Concord is the second largest city in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area...
. Kannapolis was the largest unincorporated town in the nation for many years. Due to the support of the Cannon family the YMCA in Kannapolis enjoyed one of the highest memberships in the nation and had excellent facilities. Cannon Mills headquarters was based in Concord, and the family mansion in downtown Concord is now part of the First Presbyterian Church complex.
There were multiple plants employing thousands of people during this time, running three shifts and producing sheets and towels.
Cannon was a great industrialist and involved in philanthropy in the community which included churches, schools, hospitals and libraries.
Many of the families that worked in the mill lived in company houses generally of clapboard with 2-3 bedrooms and one bath and rented to the employees by the company at very cheap rates.
The downtown of Kannapolis was in the Colonial style, mostly brick and very elegant and directly because of the Cannon family.
While there were no unions in any of the operations, work was generally good during this era, and many people from other communities flocked to Kannapolis during the Great Depression because of jobs. The mill was the prominent employer in the area and there were no other significant manufacturing operations during that time.
His grandson, Robin Hayes
Robin Hayes
Robert Cannon "Robin" Hayes is the current chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party. For five terms from 1999 to 2009, he represented North Carolina's 8th congressional district in the House of Representatives.-Early life:...
, was a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
congressman from North Carolina.
External links
- Charles Albert Cannon at the North Carolina Business History website