Admitted to the Indiana bar in 1858, Cannon in 1859 moved to Illinois, where he continued the practice of law and entered politics. In 1872 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served for 46 years (1873–91, 1893–1913, 1915–23). Cannon was a staunch conservative and loyal Republican who, because of seniority, held important committee chairmanships and was speaker of the House for eight years (1903–11). As speaker, he exercised the power of that office in a blatantly partisan manner until March 1910, when a coalition of Democrats and insurgent Republicans passed a resolution making the speaker ineligible for membership on the committee on rules, thus divesting him of much of his power. Cannon did not originate a single major legislative measure during his 46 years in the House. He was personally liked by his colleagues, however, and was popularly known as “Uncle Joe” Cannon.