Robert Cunningham (May 12, 1836 – July 4, 1874) was a Canadian journalist and

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

. Cunningham was born in

Stewarton Stewarton ( sco, Stewartoun,
gd, Baile nan Stiùbhar ...

, Scotland. He studied at

Glasgow College , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

and the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. Cunningham moved to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in 1868 where he began work as a journalist. Cunningham served as a correspondent, covering the

Red River Rebellion The Red River Rebellion (french: Rébellion de la rivière Rouge), also known as the Red River Resistance, Red River uprising, or First Riel Rebellion, was the sequence of events that led up to the 1869 establishment of a provisional government by ...

for the Toronto ''Globe'' and Toronto ''Telegraph''. Cunningham chose to stay in the new province and co-founded his own newspaper, ''The Manitoban''. Cunningham and the newspaper were strong supporters of

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

causes. He formed close relationships with

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...

and francophone community leaders notably Joseph Dubuc and

Louis Riel Louis Riel (; ; 22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political leader of the Métis people. He led two resistance movements against the Government of Canada and its first ...

. Cunningham's political allies urged him to run for Parliament 1872 federal election. Cunningham was elected as a Liberal in the Marquette riding, defeating future Premier

John Norquay John Norquay (May 8, 1841 – July 5, 1889) was the fifth premier of Manitoba from 1878 to 1887. He was born near St. Andrews in what was then the Red River Colony, making him the first Premier of Manitoba to have been born in the region. ...

. While in Parliament, Cunningham was a strong supporter of the Métis community. He supported a general amnesty for those involved in the Red River Rebellion as well as land reforms for Métis. Cunningham acted independently of his party in other matters as well. Prime Minister Macdonald noticed Cunningham's independent record and asked him to join the government caucus in 1873. Cunningham however stayed a Liberal and was re-elected in the following general election. Cunningham was appointed as a member of the interim executive of the North-West Territories but died in Minnesota, while en route to take up his new position. Following his death, Cunningham's opponent from the general election, Liberal Joseph Ryan, was declared to be the MP for the riding upon review. Ryan only narrowly defeated the deceased Cunningham in a subsequent

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

References

External links

* * 1836 births 1874 deaths Liberal Party of Canada MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Manitoba Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories Alumni of the University of London People from Stewarton {{Manitoba-politician-stub