Author: CANNON, Charles James
Biography:
CANNON, Charles James (1800-69: ANBO)
Born in New York City to Irish Catholic parents, he became a customhouse clerk who wrote in his spare time, starting with poetry in periodicals and gradually building up an impressive number of publications in various genres--poetry, drama, and fiction. Most of his work came out after 1835: The Poet's Quest and Other Poems (1841), The Crowning Hour and Other Poems (1843), Poems Dramatic and Miscellaneous (1851). His tragedy The Oath of Office was performed in 1850 but for the most part Cannon produced closet dramas for reading only. His writings in general and his fiction in particular (notably Mora Carmody, 1844, and Father Felix, 1845) aimed to bring readers to a better understanding of Roman Catholic beliefs. (ANBO 19 Feb. 2018; Appleton) HJ