William Tharp Cunningham
| William Tharp Cunningham | |
| In office 1908–1912 | |
| Preceded by | Three-member district: C. Chaplin, Jr. |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Three-member district: John Isaac Friedman |
| Born | August 21, 1871 Natchitoches, Louisiana |
| Died | February 7, 1952 (aged 80) Natchitoches, Louisiana |
| Resting place | American Cemetery in Natchitoches |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Spouse(s) | Emma Johnson Cunningham (married 1895-1952, his death) |
| Relations | Charles Milton Cunningham (brother) W. Peyton Cunningham (nephew) |
| Children | No children |
| Alma mater | Tulane University Northwestern State University Tulane University School of Law |
| Occupation | Attorney; Planter |
William Tharp Cunningham, known as W. T. Cunningham or as Bill Cunningham (August 21, 1871 – February 7, 1952), was an attorney and judge in Natchitoches, Louisiana, who served as a state representative for a single term between 1908 and 1912.[1]
Biography
Descended from a prominent political family, he was a son of the former Thalia Allen Tharp (1843-1872) and Milton Joseph Cunningham, known as Joe Cunningham, a member of both houses of the Louisiana legislature and the state attorney general from 1884 to 1888 and again from 1892 to 1900. W. T.'s mother died at the age of twenty-nine when he was only a year old. Cunningham was reared in his native Natchitoches, where he attended public schools, the preparatory department of Tulane University in New Orleans, and the Louisiana State Normal School, a teacher-training institution, now Northwestern State University in Natchitoches. For fourteen years, he was engaged in farming and stock raising and thereafter retained plantation interests. He studied law at Tulane University Law School and in 1904 was admitted to the bar before the Louisiana Supreme Court. After a term in the state House of Representatives, during which time he continued his private law practice as well, Cunningham was elected in 1912 as a state judge of the 11th Judicial District Court, encompassing Natchitoches and adjoining Red River parishes.[2][3]
In 1895, Cunningham married Emma Johnson (1874-1963), daughter of James J. Johnson and the former Elizabeth Campbell, who was active in the Methodist Episcopal Church at the local and state levels.[4] Cunningham, his wife, and other family members are interred at the American Cemetery in Natchitoches.[2]
References
- ↑ Membership in the Louisiana House of Representatives, 1812-2024: Natchitoches Parish. Louisiana House of Representatives. Retrieved on February 27, 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 William Tharp Cunningham. genealogy.com. Retrieved on October 5, 2014; information no longer accessible on-line.
- ↑ Alcée Fortier, ed., Louisiana: Comprising Sketches of Parishes, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form (Volume 3), Century Historical Association, 1914, p. 113
- ↑ Emma Johnson (December 25, 1874 – October 31, 1963. genealogy.com. Retrieved on October 5, 2014; material no longer accessible on-line.
