Thomas Cunningham (April 12, 1837 – February 16, 1916) was an Irish-born merchant, farmer and political figure in British Columbia. He represented New Westminster City in the

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is the deliberative assembly of the Parliament of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The Legislative Assembly meets in Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria. Members ar ...

from 1889 to 1890. He was born in Ulster and was educated there. In 1853, he came to

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

, Province of Canada. In 1859, Cunningham travelled to Victoria, Colony of Vancouver Island, following the discovery of gold in the province. The following spring, he travelled to

Antler Creek Antler Creek is a creek located in the Cariboo region of British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geogra ...

in the

Cariboo The Cariboo is an intermontane region of British Columbia, Canada, centered on a plateau stretching from Fraser Canyon to the Cariboo Mountains. The name is a reference to the caribou that were once abundant in the region. The Cariboo was the ...

, Colony of British Columbia. In 1861, he moved to New Westminster, where he sold stoves and hardware. In 1864, he took over the Vancouver Coal Co. in

Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, it had a population of 99,863, and it is known as "The Harbour City." The city was previously known as the "H ...

. In 1867, Cunningham was elected to the assembly for Vancouver Island and voted for the union of the two colonies. From 1867 to 1882, he lived in Salem, Oregon, where he was a merchant and manufacturer of wagons, carriages and agricultural implements. Cunningham then returned to New Westminster, again employed as a hardware merchant. He later became involved in fruit growing and raising Jersey cattle. Cunningham served on the New Westminster municipal council and was president of the British Columbia Agricultural Society. He was elected to the provincial assembly in an 1889 by-election held after William Norman Bole was named a judge. Cunningham married Emily Woodman in 1864. In 1900, he was named provincial horticulturist. In 1906, he was British Columbia's first inspector of fruits. Cunningham died in Vancouver at the age of 70. His wife's twin sister Mary Ann married his brother James, who served in the provincial assembly and the Canadian House of Commons. Cunningham Island, north of Bella Bella, was named in his honour.

References

1837 births 1916 deaths British emigrants to British North America Colony of British Columbia (1866–1871) people Hardware merchants Independent MLAs in British Columbia New Westminster city councillors Canadian people of Ulster-Scottish descent {{BritishColumbia-MLA-stub