Richard Cunningham was an Irish

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...

-born farmer and political figure in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

. He represented Yarmouth township in the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia from 1779 to 1783.

He was born in Roscommon

Roscommon

Roscommon is the county town of County Roscommon in Ireland. Its population at the 2006 census stood at 5,017 . The town is located near the junctions of the N60, N61 and N63 roads.-History:...

. He married Elizabeth, the daughter of John Day

John Day (Nova Scotia legislator)

John Day was a merchant and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Newport township from 1765 to 1770 and Halifax town from 1774 to 1775 in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly....

, in 1775. He was elected to the assembly in a 1779 by-election held after James Monk left the province. Cunningham was named clerk for the assembly in 1783. He served as a justice of the peace

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

 for Hants County

Hants County, Nova Scotia

Hants County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia which was the home of Thomas Chandler Haliburton, Alden Nowlan and Noel Doiron. The county of Hants was created June 17, 1781, and consisted of the townships of Windsor, Falmouth and Newport...

. Cunningham died in Antigonish Harbour at the age of 75.

His brother John

John Cunningham (Nova Scotia judge)

John Cunningham was an Irish-born office-holder and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Londonderry township in the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia from 1779 to 1785....

 and his son John

John Cunningham (Nova Scotia politician)

John Cunningham was a farmer, official and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Sydney County in the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia from 1808 to 1811 and from 1814 to 1818....

also served in the assembly.