Howard Cannon Howard Walter Cannon ( January 26 , 1912 – March 5 , 2002 ) was an American politician . He served as a United States Senator from Nevada from 1959 until 1983 as a member of the Democratic Party . Early life , education , and early political career . Cannon was born in Saint George , Utah . He graduated from Dixie State College and then Arizona state teacher ' s college and the University of Arizona law school . He became a lawyer in Arizona , Nevada and Utah , being accepted to the bar in all three states . In World War II he served as a bomber pilot in the United States Army Air Corps and its subsequent incarnation as the United States Army Air Forces . Assigned to the European theater , he was shot down over the Netherlands in September 1944 and spent 42 days trying to return to the Allied lines with the assistance of the Dutch underground . Released from active duty in 1946 , he joined the Army Air Forces Reserve until 1947 when he transitioned to the Air Force Reserve concurrent with the establishment of the U . S . Air Force as a separate service . Continuing to fly in the Air Force Reserve , he achieved command pilot status and ultimately retired from the Air Force Reserve with the rank of Major General . His military decorations included the Silver Star , Legion of Merit , Distinguished Flying Cross , the Purple Heart and the Air Medal ( 3 awards ) . In 1949 Cannon was elected city attorney of Las Vegas , Nevada and reelected three times . U . S . Senate . Elections . In 1956 , Cannon ran for the United States House of Representatives to succeed Republican incumbent Clarence Clifton Young , who ran for the U . S . Senate , but lost the Democratic primary to former Congressman Walter Baring , who then won the general election . In 1958 , he was elected to the United States Senate , unseating Republican Senator George W . Malone with 58 % of the vote . . Cannon was nearly defeated in his first re - election bid in 1964 , holding off Republican Lieutenant Governor Paul Laxalt in one of the closest Senate elections ever . On election night , one of the networks actually projected that Cannon had lost , but several precincts didn ' t report in until the next morning and gave Cannon enough votes to secure a second term . Ultimately , Cannon only won by 48 votes . He likely would not have won had it not been for Lyndon Johnson ' s presence atop the ticket ; Johnson easily carried the state as part of his 44 - state landslide that year . Cannon was re - elected with far less difficulty in 1970 ( 58 % ) , defeating then Washoe County District Attorney William Raggio . In 1976 , he was opposed by former Congressman David Towell and won easily ( 63 % ) . He ran for a fifth term in 1982 , but was challenged in the Democratic primary by Congressman James David Santini . After a bitter campaign , he was renominated a small margin , but was narrowly defeated in the general election by Republican Chic Hecht in a major upset . Tenure . In 1964 Cannon voted for the Civil Rights Act . In the Senate , he was known as a moderate in the Democratic Party . In 1981 , he was the recipient of the " Tony Jannus Award " for his distinguished contributions to commercial aviation . Cannon retired from politics and died in Las Vegas in 2002 at the age of ninety . Senator Cannon was also in attendance at the final performance of Diana Ross and the Supremes in January , 1970 . Committee assignments . He had an interest in the rules and administration of the Congress , serving as chairman of several committees on that subject , including the rules committee and the inaugural arrangements committee .