[Served as] second counselor to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Presiding Bishop Wm. B. Preston from 1884 to 1886... The eldest son of George Q. Cannon and Elizabeth Hoagland... [He] was born in San Francisco... his father at that time was on a mission to California, accompanied by his wife. They returned the following winter to Salt Lake City, where John Q. was baptized by his father, on April 19, 1865. In July 1873, he was ordained to the office of an Elder; learned the trade of a printer at the "Deseret News" Office, and being called to take a mission to Europe, he left home on Aug. 9, 1881, and arrived in Liverpool, England, on the 27th. After laboring at the London conference for about seven months, he was called to the Swiss and German Mission, where he labored a short time at the North German conference; afterward, he was secretary of the mission, with headquarters at Berne, Switzerland, and finally succeeded P. F. Goss in the presidency of the mission. He occupied the latter position for about ten months. Before returning home he visited the principal cities on the European Continent, having been joined by his wife, in whose company he returned home on June 25, 1882, after an absence of about three years. In the following October conference, he was appointed to act as second counselor to Presiding Bishop Wm. B. Preston, a position which he occupied until September 1886. From 1889 to 1892 he was editor of the Ogden "Standard," and from October 1892, until the breaking out of the war with Spain, April 1898, he was editor in chief of the "Deseret News." Having been since 1894 prominently connected with military affairs in Utah, he enlisted as a volunteer for the war, and in May 1898, was commissioned lieutenant colonel of cavalry, serving as such in, Florida until mustered out at the close of hostilities. (LDS Biographical Encyclopedia, Andrew Jenson, Vol. 1, p.243-244)