Congressman Chris Cannon

Chris Cannon was first elected to Congress on November 5, 1996, and was reelected to a fourth term in 2004. At the beginning of the 108th Congress, Chris was named Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law. As part of his jurisdiction, Chris oversees issues directly affecting Utahns, including privacy, bankruptcy reform, limiting frivolous lawsuits, and Internet tax laws.

In addition, Chris is the Chairman of the influential Congressional Western Caucus, a group of more than 60 Republican Members of Congress who work directly and extensively on land and natural resource issues, especially those of concern to western states like Utah. Under Chris' leadership, the Western Caucus has played a pivotal role in a number of important western issues, including preserving the rights of Utah counties to reclaim RS 2477 roads, fighting bans on snowmobiles and ATVs, and ensuring that residents of rural areas have access to high quality, affordable health care.

During the past seven years in Congress, Chris has worked on a wide range of legislation that matters to Utah: Consolidating school trust lands to provide greater funding for Utah schools; expanding compensation for downwinders, combating methamphetamines, fully-funding PILT (payments to counties that are unable to tax federal land within their boundaries), restricting on-line gambling to protect Utahns; a constitutional amendment to prohibit gay marriage -just to name a few.

Before his election to Congress, Chris was active in the Republican Party at home in Utah. He served as the Utah Finance Chairman President George H.W. Bush's reelection in 1992, and for the Utah Republican Party in 1991-92. Chris also had the honor of serving as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1992 and 1996, as well as one of Utah's five presidential electors in 1996. In 1987, Chris, with his brother Joe, helped purchase and reopen Geneva Steel in Orem, Utah, restoring 2,500 steel worker jobs. In 1990, Chris purchased Geneva's new venture division, now called Cannon Industries, Inc. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan appointed Chris as Assistant Associate Solicitor in the Department of Interior and became Associate Solicitor in 1984. During his tenure under President Reagan, Chris supervised approximately 100 attorneys working on surface coal mining issues. Always advocating local control of land use, Chris helped move oversight of coalmine reclamation from the federal government to the states. In 1986, he worked as a consultant to the Assistant Secretary for Productivity, Technology and Innovation at the Department of Commerce.

Chris was born in Salt Lake City on October 20, 1950. He served a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Guatemala and El Salvador and is fluent in Spanish. After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree and a law degree from Brigham Young University, Chris worked as an attorney for four years. Chris married Claudia Fox in 1978. Claudia is a graduate of Brigham Young University with a degree in Elementary Education. She served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Spain. They have eight children and reside in Mapleton, Utah.