James Cunningham was a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 merchant and Liberal

Liberal Party of Canada

The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...

 politician, who represented New Westminster

New Westminster (electoral district)

New Westminster was a federal electoral district in the province of British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1871 to 1979....

 in the Canadian House of Commons

Canadian House of Commons

The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...

 during the 3rd Parliament

3rd Canadian Parliament

The 3rd Canadian Parliament was in session from March 26, 1874 until August 17, 1878. The membership was set by the 1874 federal election on January 22, 1874, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections until it was dissolved prior to the 1878 election.It was controlled by a...

 from 1874 to 1878.

Born in Anyevny, County Monaghan

County Monaghan

County Monaghan is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County Council is the local authority for the county...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, the son of James Cunningham, he was educated in Anyevny, later coming to Canada and entering business as a merchant in New Westminster

New Westminster, British Columbia

New Westminster is an historically important city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and is a member municipality of the Greater Vancouver Regional District. It was founded as the capital of the Colony of British Columbia ....

. In 1864, Cunningham married Mary Ann Woodman. He resigned his seat in the House of Commons in 1878. He sat as MLA

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....

 for New Westminster City

New Westminster City

New Westminster City was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia from 1871 to 1912. For other electoral districts in New Westminster, please see New Westminster .- Demographics :- Electoral history :...

 from 1884 to 1886. He also served as Mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of New Westminster. Cunningham died in New Westminster at the age of 91.

His brother Thomas

Thomas Cunningham (Canadian politician)

Thomas Cunningham was an Irish-born merchant, farmer and political figure in British Columbia. He represented New Westminster City in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1889 to 1890....

served in the British Columbia assembly.