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MEN OF AFFAIRS IN NEW YORK
 

(iare. This bank was organized in 1887 by John
Thompson and his son, Samuel C. Thompson. The
name given to the bank by its founders was in honor of
Chief Justice and ex-Secretary Salmon P. Chase, who
w^as the founder of the national banking system. The
business of the bank has always been conducted in a
most conservative manner, and the reputation of the
institution from the day it opened for business to the
present time has been in every particular tmquestioned.
The Chase National was one of the original designated
depositories and fiscal agents of the United States
Treasury and still acts in that capacity. The bank has
lost none of its prestige with the Government or in the
community at large since it came under the direction of
Mr. Cannon.

Mr. Cannon has, ever since he took up- his residence
in the metropolis, taken an active interest in municipal
affairs, and in 1887, upon the election of Hugh J.
Grant to the Mayoralty he was, on account of his well-
established business qualifications, requested by the
Mayor to accept the important position of Aqueduct
Commissioner. Although the holding of a public posi¬
tion did not accord with Mr. Cannon's inclinations, he
finally, at considerable personal sacrifice, consented to
accept the office. His administration of this depart¬
ment was conducted with great vigor, with a due re¬
gard to economy, and was universally commended.
 

Soon after the election of President Harrison he
selected Mr. Cannon as a member of the Assay Com¬
mission, a position requiring the most thorough and
intimate knowledge of the subject tO' be treated. He
served the Government for two years in this commis¬
sion, and in 1892 President Harrison evinced his fur¬
ther confidence in Mr. Cannon's abilities by selecting
him as one of the United States Commissioners to the
International Monetary Conference of that year. In
this conference he took an active part, and sustained
his reputation for wisdom and acumen regarding mone¬
tary problems.

Mr. Cannon has contributed not infrequently to the
columns of the public press on financial matters, and is
a clear and forcible writer. In banking circles his coun¬
sels are held in the highest estimation, and his name is
associated with all important financial movements.
He is a director in several large railroad companies,
•among them being the Great Northern, the Lake Erie
and Western, the New York, Ontario and Western, and
the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company. He is
president of the Pacific Coast Company, and is also a
director of the Manhattan Trust Company and of the
United States Guarantee Company.

Mr. Cannon's social standing is of the very highest,
and he is connected with some of the leading clubs of
the metropolis.