Charles E. Cunningham (July 1, 1823 – April 21, 1895) was an American politician who is best known for being the Union Labor Party's nominee for

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

in the 1888 election.

Biography

Cunningham was born in 1823 in

Frederick County, Maryland Frederick County is located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Maryland. At the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 271,717. The county seat is Frederick. Frederick County is included in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ...

, to James Cunningham, a retired British military captain, and Catherine Campbell, a native of the state. He had three brothers and a sister. Despite being orphaned in 1834, Cunningham obtained an education and married Elizabeth A. Jones (died 1883) in 1849. They had eight children; Kate, Nannie, Mollie, James, Bessie (married John J. Cockrell, the son of

Francis Cockrell Francis Marion Cockrell (October 1, 1834December 13, 1915) was a Confederate military commander and American politician from the state of Missouri. He served as a United States senator from Missouri for five terms. He was a prominent member o ...

), George, Nettie, and Charles. Cunningham moved to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

in 1849 and to

Johnson County, Missouri Johnson County is a county located in western portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the population was 52,595 with a 2018 estimate of 53,652. Its county seat is Warrensburg. The county was formed December 13, 1834 from ...

in 1854. He went to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

in 1862 and moved to

Little Rock, Arkansas (The Little Rock, The "Little Rock") , government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager , leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_ ...

after the end of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. He began operating a sawmill in Little Rock and served on the school board there from 1873 until 1877. A former

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, in 1876 Cunningham joined the

Greenback Party The Greenback Party (known successively as the Independent Party, the National Independent Party and the Greenback Labor Party) was an American political party with an anti-monopoly ideology which was active between 1874 and 1889. The party ran ...

, and ran as that party's candidate in the 1882 congressional election, coming in second place to Democrat

Clifton R. Breckinridge Clifton Rodes Breckinridge (November 22, 1846 – December 3, 1932) was a Democratic alderman, congressman, diplomat, businessman and veteran of the Confederate Army and Navy. He was a member of the prominent Breckinridge family, the son o ...

. He ran for

Governor of Arkansas A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

as the candidate of the

Agricultural Wheel The Agricultural Wheel was a cooperative alliance of farmers in the United States. It was established in 1882 in Arkansas. A major founding organizers of the Agricultural Wheel was W. W. Tedford, an Arkansas farmer and school teacher. Like similar ...

party in 1886, receiving 11.7 percent of the vote. Cunningham joined the newly formed Union Labor Party in 1888. At that year's Union Labor National Convention in May, Illinois State Senator

Alson Streeter Alson Jenness Streeter (January 18, 1823 – November 24, 1901) was an American farmer, miner and politician who was the Union Labor Party nominee in the United States presidential election of 1888. He was also an early member of the National Gr ...

was unanimously nominated as their candidate for president. The vice presidential ballot saw Samuel Evans of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

receive 124 votes, T. P. Rynder of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

received 44, and Cunningham received 32. After Evans declined the party's nomination, Cunningham became the vice presidential candidate. He waited several weeks before accepting the nomination. The ULP ticket received 146,602 votes (1.3%) but did get 11.4% in

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

and 6.8% in Arkansas. Cunningham was influential in the forming of the Populist Party in 1891. He was temporary chairman of the May 1891 Populist convention. Cunningham died on April 21, 1895. He is buried in Little Rock at the Oakland-Fraternal Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cunningham, Charles E. 1823 births 1895 deaths Arkansas Democrats Arkansas Greenbacks Arkansas Laborites Arkansas Populists People from Frederick County, Maryland People from Johnson County, Missouri Politicians from Little Rock, Arkansas School board members in Arkansas 1888 United States vice-presidential candidates