He also served as Governor Tom McCall's assistant for natural resources before becoming director of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.

[1][3][4] During his senior year, Cannon won the university's Failing-Beeckman oratorical contest, one of the school's top honors at that time.

As a result of that program, he was made an honorary member of the Central Oregon Milk Producers and the Deschutes County Cattlemen's Association.

He had the Bend Chamber of Commerce send him tourist brochures to pass out to fellow soldiers at Camp Roberts.

[21] After leaving the Army, Cannon returned to Bend and went back to his broadcasting job at KBND radio.

Cannon delivered a wide variety of broadcasts including news, sports, agriculture updates, and history programs.

It was a series that featured Cannon's interviews with Oregon pioneers and homesteaders, who told their stories for the radio audience.

[26] Later that year, Cannon worked with the music committee at Bend's First Presbyterian Church to organize a choir.

As a result of his outstanding service to the Bend community, Cannon was honored as the city's 1957 Citizen of the Year.

The House elections committee approved the plan, supported by coalition of Republicans and eastern Oregon Democrats.

[40] After the 1961 session ended, the Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives appointed Cannon to the legislature's interim committee on natural resources.

[4][42] In early 1962, Cannon decides to run for the new District 21 seat, representing Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson counties.

Ben Evick of Madras, the incumbent who had previously represented Cook and Jefferson counties, was unopposed in Democratic primary.

He supported a bill proposed by Governor Mark Hatfield to create a state natural resource department.

[51] The interim committee studied existing wildlife regulations and delivered its report just prior to the beginning of the 1965 legislative session.

[52] In November, Oregon voters disapproved an income tax increase which force the state government to cut spending.

[64] In his new position, Cannon played an important role in shaping state policies regarding Oregon's oceans,[65] beaches,[66] forests,[67] water ways,[68] fish stocks, wildlife,[69] and outdoor recreation sites.

[70] In 1970, Governor McCall sent Cannon to testified before the United States Congress on behalf of the legislation to create the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.

Under his leadership the state's environmental quality department push the legislature to subsidize community recycling programs.

[77] His agency enforced tough environmental standard on industries throughout the state and fined companies that polluted the air or water.

[82] Cannon resigns from the department in June 1975, six months after the new Democratic governor, Robert W. Straub, took office.

[83][84] After leaving the department of environmental quality, Cannon accept the Tom Lawson McCall Professorship chair at Oregon State University.

[82][85][86] After leaving the university in 1976, Cannon was hired as a consultant supporting the National Marine Fisheries Service.

After retiring, he continued to support the association as a part-time consultant and did related work for the Council of Forest Trust Land Counties.

[91] Today, Cannon's personal papers and other documents are held at the Oregon Historical Society research library in Portland.

Many of the records relate to environmental issues and natural resource policies from the time he worked in Governor Tom McCall's administration.