Business Magnate, Textile Pioneer, founder of Cannon Mills: James William Cannon was born 25 Apr 1852 in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina to Joseph Allison Cannon and Eliza Long. He lived the first fourteen years of life near Sugar Creek, before coming to Concord, North Carolina. Mr. Cannon began his career working as an errand boy, and later as a clerk for the mercantile firm Cannon and Fetzer, becoming one of the owners after purchasing the Long interest. He was considered a genius in the mercantile world but set his sights on bigger roles in the budding Southern cotton mill industry. Cannon Mills, his first cotton mill was built in Cabarrus County, North Carolina in 1882, and still stands. This mill was so successful that Mr. Cannon next set his sights on building the mill town of Kannapolis, which was founded in 1906. At the time of his death, he was the President, Chairman of the Board of Directors or played another controlling role in approximately 14 mills throughout the South, which were producing 300,000+ towels per day, making him the largest manufacturer of towels in the world. By the creation of Cannon Mills and the founding of Kannapolis which grew to a population of 6,000 by 1921, Mr. Cannon transformed the area in to one of the greatest centers for industry in the South. One of the first things he had built in Kannapolis was the Y.M.C.A. Kannapolis branch, which was dedicated to his memory on 17 Jun 1925. In addition to his textile interests, Mr. Cannon also served as the Vice President of Cabarrus Savings Bank of Concord. He was known as a born businessman, who worked hard, and had a pleasant personality. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Concord, North Carolina, where he served some years as an elder. He passed away at the age of 69, on 19 Dec 1921. His wife, Mary Ella Bost, whom he married on 24 Nov 1875 in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, survived him, along with 10 of their 12 children.