Laura A. Gregg Cannon
Born: Garnett, Anderson County, Kansas, January 4, 1869. Married: Joseph D. Cannon, Los Angeles, California, August 16, 1911. Died: New York, Queens, New York, December 24, 1945.
Laura A. Gregg was born to Charles and Angeline Gregg in Garnett in 1869. She was educated in Anderson County and at a young age became interested in the issues of women’s suffrage that were being debated in the state.
In 1895 she was hired as an organizer for the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). The association spent about $20,000 sending representatives to areas of the nation to promote its agenda. Gregg was sent to Oklahoma Territory to promote universal suffrage. As the representative for the organization she went on a six-week speaking tour of the larger towns in Oklahoma Territory, organizing suffrage clubs in 12 different communities. She returned to Oklahoma to continue her efforts from March through November 1904.
Gregg attended several of the national woman’s suffrage conventions. In 1909 she was sent as a field organizer to Arizona Territory to campaign for woman’s rights in the territory. There she earned a reputation as a lecturer and organizer. She married Joseph D. Cannon, also a well-known organizer, whose efforts were devoted to years to the interest of labor, in Los Angeles, California, on August 16, 1911. She was credited with influencing public sentiment in favor of women’s suffrage. She joined other advocates in addressing the state legislature and securing its support.
In the 1930s and 1940s the Cannons lived in Queens, New York. There she died on December 24, 1945.
Entry: Cannon, Laura A. Gregg
Author: Kansas Historical Society
Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.
Date Created: July 2012
Date Modified: January 2025
The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.
