Capt. James Cunningham is the senior member of the firm of Cunningham & Son, liverymen of Centralia, and is also an honored veteran of the late war. A native of Kentucky, he was born in Todd County, October 20, 1825. His father, John Cunningham, was born in Ireland, and when four years old was brought to America by his parents, who located in South Carolina, where he grew to manhood and was married. He afterward removed to Todd County, Ky., and in 1829 came to Perry County, Il., entering land from the Government near Pinckneyville. There he followed farming until his death. He served as County Superintendent of Schools in an early day, and was a prominent and influential citizen. In the family were twelve children who reached mature years, but only two are now living, Robert W., who resides on the old homestead in Perry County, and our subject.
The Captain was only about four years old when the family came to Illinois. He aided in clearing and developing the farm and remained under the parental roof until April, 1841, when he married Margaret Jane Cooper, daughter of Andrew Cooper, one of the early settlers of Perry County. The lady was born in South Carolina, but during early girlhood came to this state. The young couple spent the first two years of their married life upon the old homestead, after which Mr. Cunningham�s father gave him an eighty-acre tract of timber land, on which he lived until his removal to Walnut Hill. By his first marriage he had four children, two yet living: Mary Jane Koonce, now of Colorado; and John Thomas, of Centralia. Margaret E. and Andrew C. are both deceased.
After the death of his first wife Mr. Cunningham married Sarah A., daughter of John Steele, and a native of Indiana. Eight children graced this union, and two sons and two daughters are yet living. The former are G.L., and James S., who is a mail agent on the Illinois Central Railroad, running between Chicago and Centralia. Janet is the wife of E. McDowell, a fireman on the Illinois Central Road; and Esther is the wife of Woodson Phenix, a farmer of Clinton County.
About 1850 Mr. Cunningham sold his farm in Perry County and for a short time engaged in merchandising in Walnut Hill. About 1853 he came to Centralia and lived in the first house erected in this place. Here he engaged in blacksmithing and wagon-making, and also engaged in the manufacture of plows for a year. He then embarked in carpentering, but in July, 1862, he laid aside business cares and raised what became Company II, Eighteenth Illinois Infantry. He was at first elected Second Lieutenant, but was promoted to the rank of Captain before they left for the front. His regiment was captured in the Streight raid, but during that time our subject was sick at Nashville. The officers were held as prisoners for some time, and so Captain Cunningham re-organized the regiment and commanded the same until the close of the war. He was mustered out with the rank of Brevet-Major in June, 1865, after having participated in the battles of Perryville, Murfreesboro, the celebrated march to the sea and the battles of Jonesboro and Lovejoy Station.
On his return to the north, Captain Cunningham located in Centralia and the following spring was elected City Marshall. He afterward engaged in the grocery business for six years, and then became a brakeman on the Illinois Central Railroad. During President Grant�s first administration he was appointed Postmaster of Centralia, which position he held for eight years. He then purchased a farm of sixty acres in Brookside Township, Clinton County, which he operated for nine years, when he returned to Centralia and embarked in the livery business as a member of the firm of Cunningham & Son. This he still continues, and his undertaking is proving a profitable one. In early days Captain Cunningham was an Abolitionist, and since 1856 has been a stalwart Republican. He was one of the first Alderman of the city and helped to organize the village and lay out the cemetery and has been identified with many other public works. There is not another person living in the place who was here at the time of his arrival.