The Press: Blackout in Kannapolis

Besides his towel-and-sheet empire—13 textile mills in the Carolinas alone—Charles A. Cannon, 66, also owns the North Carolina city of Kannapolis (pop. 30,000). His father founded it in 1906 and gave it its name, a loose derivative of his own. Kannapolis has no mayor, city manager, city council, charter or legal existence. As president of the Cannon Mills Co., vested proprietor of Kannapolis, Charles Cannon presides over trash collection, fire fighting and street maintenance, collects rent from 1,700 homes, subsidizes the police department and owns most municipal real estate, including the downtown business district. He also employs the majority of the...