Ira James Cunningham (1905–1971) was a New Zealand researcher in

trace element __NOTOC__ A trace element, also called minor element, is a chemical element whose concentration (or other measure of amount) is very low (a "trace amount"). They are classified into two groups: essential and non-essential. Essential trace elements ...

nutrition and

animal science Animal science is described as "studying the biology of animals that are under the control of humankind". It can also be described as the production and management of farm animals. Historically, the degree was called animal husbandry and the ...

. He is best remembered as a past president of the New Zealand Veterinary Association.

Biography

Early years

Cunningham was born at Mangatainoka in the

Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service ...

in New Zealand on 16 August 1905. He was dux of Dannevirke High School and later took a position as a cadet in the chemical laboratory of the Department of Agriculture in Wellington. While at the department, Cunningham studied part-time at

Victoria University College Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...

. In 1928, he graduated with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree, and in 1929 with a Master's of Science with first-class honours in

Chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

. In 1929, Cunningham attended the Rowett Research Institute at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland and this marked the beginning of his lifelong interest in trace element nutrition. He returned to New Zealand with a PhD in copper metabolism to become a research officer in animal nutrition at Wallaceville Veterinary Laboratory in Upper Hutt. Cunningham then attended the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

and gained a Bachelor of

Veterinary Science Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...

(BVSc).

Career

Upon his return to Wallaceville, he was appointed chief biochemist and section leader and concentrated on his main work of improving livestock production. In 1945, with the support of John Filmer, director of the Animal Research Division of the Department of Agriculture, Cunningham became superintendent of the Wallaceville station. He was in charge of Wallaceville from 1945 to 1958. The bacteriologist

Sydney Josland Sydney Walter Josland (30 January 1904 – 28 June 1991) was a New Zealand bacteriologist who specialised in research into Leptospirosis, Salmonella and the control of diseases in animals. Early life and education Born in Christchurch in 1904, J ...

worked under the direction of Cunningham at Wallaceville until he left to commence employment at the National Health Institute in Wellington in 1954. Cunningham became Assistant Director General of Agriculture in 1958 and his services to agriculture were recognised in the 1959 New Year Honours when he was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

. The degree of DSc was conferred upon Cunningham the same year by

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...

for his research on copper metabolism, and he received an honorary DVSc from the University of Melbourne in 1967. In 1962, Cunningham was appointed as foundation dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Science at Massey Agricultural College in

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

. Cunningham was made a fellow of the

Royal Society of New Zealand Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

in 1963 and was awarded the Society's Hector Memorial Medal and Prize in 1971. Among elected offices Cunningham held were those of chairman of the Veterinary Surgeons' Board, president of the New Zealand Veterinary Association and New Zealand Society of Animal Production.

Death and legacy

Cunningham died at

Palmerston North, New Zealand Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

on 28 August 1971.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cunningham, Ira 1905 births 1971 deaths Academic staff of Massey University People from the Wairarapa University of Sydney alumni Veterinary scientists Victoria University of Wellington alumni Alumni of the University of Aberdeen New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century New Zealand scientists Fellows of the Royal Society of New Zealand