Cunningham

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Peter F. Cunningham worked 2½ years under Peter M. Mullin and 7 years under C. C. Murray.

Establish his own business on March 17, 1894.

Funeral Director From To Address
Cunningham, Michael 1894 1894 267 Warren Street
Cunningham, Michael 1895 1895/96 313 Warren Street
Cunningham, Peter F. 1894 1916 313 Warren Street

From: Newark, The Metropolis of New Jersey At the Dawn of the Twentieth Century
Progress Publishing Co. 1901

Peter F. Cunningham

Mr. Peter F. Cunningham, the esteemed funeral director, whose place of business is at 313 Warren Street, is a native of this city. His aged parents, who are yet spared to him, are natives of the Emerald Isle, the father, Michael Cunningham, whose trade in his working days was that of a boilermaker, being quite well preserved through nearly eighty years of age. Born January 16, 1865 in St. James' Parish, Peter F. Cunningham was educated in the parish school and passed one term in St. Benedict's College. He began life as a messenger boy in the W. U. Telegraph Company and continuing with them acquired a knowledge of telegraphy in the practice of which he was engaged seven years. Not liking the limited opportunities for growth by individual effort afforded by that occupation he entered the employ of that most thorough and painstaking undertaker, the late Peter M. Mullin, with whom he worked for two and a half years, and then after spending seven years with Mr. C. C. Murray, making a service of nearly ten years practice with high class undertakers he felt in every way competent to perform every duty of an undertaker when he established business on his own account, March 17, 1894.

He has diplomas from the National Embalming College and from the Massachusetts College of Embalming and the knowledge gained from these sources, together with his former experience and natural aptitude for such work has enabled him to carry the art of embalming to an almost incredible state of perfection. He has never had a failure in this branch of undertaking and has been called on frequently to do embalming for other undertakers who were doubtful of their own ability in especially difficult cases. At one time while endeavoring to find trace of a brother before allowing a burial to take place, he preserved the body of a lady twenty-eigth days with nothing to indicate that it might not be kept in the same state for an indefinite period longer, the body this embalmed lying all this time in one of his ordinary working rooms.

Mr. Cunningham has been known to some extent in affairs of public note outside of Newark, having been clerk of the Judiciary Committee of the New Jersey Assembly, 1892-93. He is active in local politics, being the Democratic leader in his district, the Eleventh Ward. He was meter inspector of the city of Newark from 1893 to 1896, holding the position one year under a Republican Board of Works.

He is a popular member of the Knights of Columbus, Catholic Benevolent Legion, St. Patrick's Alliance, Ancient Order of Hibernians, Mizpah Circle Heptasophs, Roseville Glee Club and other clubs of a social nature.