Career
A Democrat, he served as the states 5th Lieutenant Governor. Franklin Cannon came to Missouri Territory in 1819 from North Carolina and established a medical practice in the area that would later become Jackson, Missouri. He earned a reputation as excellent physician during a cholera outbreak that killed hundreds in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri in 1832 & 1833.
After serving in the Missouri House of Representatives, Cannon was elected to the state senate in 1832.
On March, 15, 1835, despite her being twenty-two years his junior, Cannon was wed to Mary West. Dunklin, daughter of Missouri Governor Daniel Dunklin. In 1836 Doctor Cannon defeated Whig candidate James Jones 57.6% to 42.1% to become Lieutenant Governor.
After serving one term in office Cannon returned to Jackson and resumed his life as a physician and prosperous plantation owner. In 1845, he served as a delegate to the failed Missouri Constitutional Convention.
Franklin Cannon died June 13, 1863.
He is buried Jackson Cemetery in Cape Girardeau.