Francis Cunningham

Francis Cunningham

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Francis Cunningham Profile

  • Name:
  • Francis Cunningham
  • Died:
  • December 3, 1875
  • Father:
  • Allan Cunningham
  • Mother:
  • Jean Walker

Francis Cunningham Biography

Francis Cunningham was a British army officer in the Madras Army, who is also known for his literary contributions. He was a member of the Mysore Commission as secretary to Mark Cubbon. Cunningham road in Bangalore is named after him. He was the son of famous Scottish poet Allan Cunningham and Jean Walker. He had three brothers. His eldest brother Joseph Davey Cunningham was a British writer who authored History of the Sikhs (1849) and he was also an authority in Punjab historiography. His second elder brother Alexander Cunningham was an archeologist and British army engineer with the Bengal Engineer Group who founded and organised an organization, which later came to be known as Archaeological Survey of India. His younger Peter Cunningham was a British writer and literary editor.

 

Francis Cunningham was born in 1820 in Scotland into a family of intellectuals as the third son of famous Scottish poet Allan Cunningham and his wife Jean Walker. His three brothers also became famous by their own means. The family moved to India in mid-1830s, where they settled for many years. The brothers underwent military training at the Military Seminary of the British East India Company at Addiscombe before they moved to India to serve British army.

 

He was first posted to the 23rd Madras Native Infantry in 1838, and later joined Shah's Sappers in Kabul. He also served as a Field Engineer in 1st Afghan War. In 1850, he was posted in Bangalore where he stayed for the remaining years of his career in India. He was known for his hospitality and also maintained a big library. During his stay in Bangalore, he served as Secretary to the Mysore Commission and a deputy to Sir Mark Cubbon, the Chief Commissioner at Bangalore, and during this period played a great role in the development of Bangalore city. Horticultural Gardens at Lalbagh, a few constructions in Nandi hill, Balabrooie bungalow etc are his major constructions. He left Bangalore in 1861, and Cunningham road in Bangalore is named after him.

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Updated: July 13, 2018

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