Draft:Matthew Cunningham
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Comment: The usable source here seems to be the Encyclopaedia of Arkansas, please, add more sources to establish notability. Best, Reading Beans, Duke of Rivia 03:25, 10 March 2025 (UTC)
Matthew Cunningham | |
|---|---|
| 1st Mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas | |
| In office January 1832 – January 1833 | |
| Succeeded by | W. W. Stevenson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 5, 1782 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | June 15, 1851 (aged 68) Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Occupation |
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Matthew Cunningham (July 5, 1782 – June 15, 1851) was an American physician and politician who was the first physician in and mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas.[1]
Biography
[edit]Matthew Cunningham was born on July 5, 1782, in Philadelphia.[2][3] Little is known about his childhood and his parents are unknown.
On October 11, 1811, Cunningham married Eliza Bertrand, a Scottish immigrant and widow of a French man, at First and Second Presbyterian Church in New York City.[4] By 1819, the couple had a son and two daughters, and that year the family arrived in Arkansas. In 1820, the Cunninghams arrived in Little Rock. He was the first physician in Little Rock. They had four more children — two sons and two daughters, one of whom died in infancy — and in 1829 Cunningham began presiding over the Little Rock board of trustees. In 1831, Little Rock was incorporated as a town and Cunningham was elected mayor,[5] defeating W. W. Stevenson in the election.[3]
From January 1832 to January 1833, Cunningham served as the first mayor of Little Rock. In the 1832 election, he was defeated by his previous challenger W. W. Stevenson and Stevenson succeeded Cunningham.[3]
After his mayorship, Cunningham continued practicing medicine.[6]
Cunningham died on June 15, 1851 in Little Rock. He was buried in Mount Holly Cemetery.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ "Cunningham, Matthew". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved 2025-03-09.
- ^ a b "Matthew Cunningham (1782-1851) - Find a Grave..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 2025-03-09.
- ^ a b c Scott (2017-07-05). "235 years of Dr. Matthew Cunningham, a founding father of Little Rock". Little Rock Culture Vulture. Retrieved 2025-03-09.
- ^ "New York, Marriages, 1686-1980", FamilySearch (January 21, 2020), Matthew Cunningham, 1811.
- ^ "Mayors of Little Rock | City of Little Rock". www.littlerock.gov. Retrieved 2025-03-09.
- ^ "United States, Census, 1850", FamilySearch (January 17, 2025), entry for Mathew Cunningham and Eliza Cunningham, 1850.
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