George Q. Cannon is generally acknowledged as second only to Brigham Young as the most visible leader of Mormonism in the mid- to late-nineteenth century. He became Young’s protégé and was an influential first counselor in the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for almost twenty-five years, serving with presidents Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and Lorenzo Snow. Known as the “spokesman for the kingdom,” Cannon was the central political figure of the church, not only serving as Utah territory’s delegate to Congress for ten years but also as chief political advisor and long-term editor of the Deseret News. Cannon helped shape doctrine, church governance, and administration during a period of significant change, defending and promulgating plural marriage both before and after the 1890 Manifesto. He was at the center of business life in Salt Lake City, serving as president of the largest publishing house, banks, a railroad, mining companies, electric companies, and other businesses. Though Cannon was loved and revered by his people, controversy sometimes touched his life and family. 

Kenneth L. Cannon II is a lawyer in private practice and an independent historian. He has published many articles in professional journals and lectured widely on legal and historical subjects. He is a Fellow in the prestigious American College of Bankruptcy where he has served on the Board of Regents. He has also been an adjunct professor of law at the University of Utah and Brigham Young University law schools and served as a Fulbright Scholar on the University of Helsinki’s faculty of law. Cannon is married to Ann Edwards Cannon and lives in Salt Lake City.

Abbreviations
Prologue: Brother Pukuniahi Returns to the Islands
1: A Manxman's Journey from Liverpool to Zion
2: First Missions, 1849–54
3: Editor, Husband, Father, Mission President, Apostle, Lobbyist, "Senator," 1854–64
4: Brigham's Protege and More, 1864–70
5: Territorial Delegate, 1870–80
6: Hope and Optimism during Troubled Times, 1880–87
7: The Mormons Strike Back, 1887–92
8: Statehood, 1892–96
9: Into a New Century, 1896–1900
10: Final Days
Appendix: George Q. Cannon's Wives and Children
Acknowledgements 
Index