Alfred Peter Cannon was born in Columbus, Ohio on June 15, 1919 to Alf Cannon and Ethel Grimm Cannon. He attended Ohio State University, and then served in the military during World War II. After the war, he resumed his education at the Baptist College of Charleston, and The Citadel. Cannon married Mary Agnes Milner, with who he had four sons. Cannon worked as an air traffic controller for the Federal Aviation Administration in Charleston,, South Carolina beginning in 1961, and retiring in 1982. He was a member of the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church for 50 years, and a member of the South Carolina Wildlife Federation, serving as a board member, as well as president. During his later years, Cannon volunteered at Charles Towne Landing State Park, and the Volunteer of the Year Award is named in his honor.