John Madigan Cunningham was an American attorney who served as legal counsel to the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston The Archdiocese of Boston ( la, Archidiœcesis Bostoniensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the New England region of the United States. Its territorial remit encompasses the whole of ...

Early life

Cunningham was born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

to H. Vincent and Anna Smith (Madigan) Cunningham. He attended

Boston Public Schools Boston Public Schools (BPS) is a school district serving the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest public school district in the state of Massachusetts. Leadership The district is led by a Superintendent, hired by the ...

before entering

Fordham Preparatory School Fordham Preparatory School (also known as Fordham Prep) is an American private, Jesuit, boys' college-preparatory school located on the Rose Hill campus of Fordham University in the Bronx, New York City. From its founding in 1841 until 1970, the ...

. At Fordham, Cunningham was class president for four years. After graduating in 1914, Cunningham attended

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

. From 1917 to 1919, Cunningham worked as an assistant on the legal staff at the American consulate in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Legal career

In 1922, Cunningham graduated from the

Boston University School of Law Boston University School of Law (Boston Law or BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top law schools in the United States and considered an eli ...

. He then worked for his father's firm in Boston. Cunningham served as legal counsel for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston and frequently appeared before the

Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...

on behalf of the Cardinal

William Henry O'Connell William Henry O'Connell (December 8, 1859 – April 22, 1944) was an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Boston from 1907 until his death in 1944, and was made a cardinal in 1911. Early life William O'Connell wa ...

. He also served on an Archdiocese committee that fought against the legalization of birth control. Following the impeachment of

Massachusetts Governor's Council The Massachusetts Governor's Council (also known as the Executive Council) is a governmental body that provides advice and consent in certain matterssuch as judicial nominations, pardons, and commutationsto the Governor of Massachusetts. Council ...

Daniel H. Coakley Daniel Henry Coakley (December 10, 1865 – September 18, 1952) was an American Democratic politician and attorney from Massachusetts. He was a key figure in early 20th century Boston politics, as an ally District Attorney Joseph C. Pelletier ...

, Cunningham was appointed to succeed him. His appointment was backed by

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

House Speaker

Christian Herter Christian Archibald Herter (March 28, 1895December 30, 1966) was an American diplomat and Republican politician who was the 59th Governor of Massachusetts from 1953 to 1957 and United States Secretary of State from 1959 to 1961. His moderate t ...

, who argued that because the 4th Council District was overwhelmingly Democratic, a Democrat should be appointed to represent it. Although a Democrat, Cunningham supported Republican Governor

Leverett Saltonstall Leverett A. Saltonstall (September 1, 1892June 17, 1979) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts. He served three two-year terms as the List of Governors of Massachusetts, 55th Governor of Massachusetts, and for more than twent ...

. His nomination was approved on a mostly party-line votes with Republicans supporting the "dark horse" Cunningham and the Democrats back the more well-known

John E. Powers John E. Powers (November 10, 1910 – July 31, 1998) was an American politician who served as President of the Massachusetts Senate from 1959 to 1964. Powers, a former clam digger, messenger, and machine operator, served as a State Senator ...

. Cunningham also served as a special assistant to the president of Georgetown University, was a director of the Boston Chamber of Commerce, and served as chairman of

Jamaica Plain Jamaica Plain is a neighborhood of in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Settled by Puritans seeking farmland to the south, it was originally part of the former Town of Roxbury, now also a part of the City of Boston. The commun ...

's draft board.

Personal life

On October 17, 1929, Cunningham married Mildred Manning, the daughter of tobacco merchant Joseph P. Manning. The ceremony was presided over by Cardinal O'Connell. Cunningham died on February 15, 1973, at

Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the third oldest general hospital in the United Stat ...

. He was survived by his wife and two daughters. He was buried at Mount Calvary Cemetery in

Roslindale Roslindale is a primarily residential neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, bordered by Jamaica Plain, Hyde Park, West Roxbury and Mattapan. It is served by an MBTA Commuter Rail line, several MBTA bus lines and the MBTA Orange Line in nearby J ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cunningham, John M. 1973 deaths Boston University School of Law alumni Fordham Preparatory School alumni Georgetown University alumni Massachusetts Democrats Massachusetts lawyers Members of the Massachusetts Governor's Council