Born in Perry Co., Ohio, December 29, 1832, and lived there till 1864. He then moved to Delaware County, Ohio, and lived there till 1869, when he came to Wapello Co. He was engaged in farming. On April 10, 1860, he married Miss Elizabeth Hussey. She died June 24, 1868. Mr. Cunningham married again February 26, 1871, to Miss Sophia Kisick. He was a Democrat. He represented Wapello in the Twenty-fourth Iowa General Assembly, 1892.