Born in Edinburgh in 1849, Cunningham was deeply influenced by the lingering legacy of the Scottish Enlightenment. He attended the Edinburgh Academy and the University of Edinburgh, studying mathematics and philosophy, then pursued theology at Trinity College, Cambridge and became an ordained Anglican priest. He served as Vicar of Great St Mary’s in Cambridge while teaching and writing extensively on economic history. His most celebrated work, The Growth of English Industry and Commerce (first published in 1882), remains a landmark in economic historiography. In this text, Cunningham traced the evolution of English economic life from medieval guilds to modern times, emphasizing the gradual and organic nature of change.

Cunningham made enduring contributions to the understanding of economic systems and the interplay between religion, ethics, and commerce. His work reflects the significant role that health and medicine played in shaping the social fabric of his time. During his formative years, health and hygiene were pressing social issues in Britain, and epidemics such as cholera, typhoid, and tuberculosis in the overcrowded slums of industrial cities were examples of how economics was inseparable from ethics, politics, and social responsibility. In his writings and sermons Cunningham frequently touched on issues of poverty, wages, and labor conditions, supporting measures aimed at promoting social justice and improving societal well-being.

Records of Cunningham’s personal medical history are scarce. His later years were marked by declining health, and he retired shortly before World War I. He died in 1919, a year notable for the catastrophic influenza pandemic.