John T. Cunningham
Encyclopedia
John T. Cunningham is a journalist, writer, and historian who has published numerous works related to the history of his native state, New Jersey
.
Long known as "New Jersey’s popular historian", his This is New Jersey, originally published in 1953, has never gone out of print. Cunningham work has also included collaboration on several documentaries and frequent speaking engagements.
in 1932, and later able to able to pay tuition, he graduated from Drew University
in 1938. He worked briefly for the Morristown Record, to which he had been contributing local interest articles since high school, and in 1939 was hired by the Newark News. During World War II, became a captain in the Army Air Corps and in 1946 returned to The News, remaining until 1963, when he began writing and publishing full time.
In the 1970s, he and his wife founded Afton Publishing, and he helped establish the New Jersey Historical Commission
He resides in Florham Park, New Jersey
, where he continues his work.
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
Long known as "New Jersey’s popular historian", his This is New Jersey, originally published in 1953, has never gone out of print. Cunningham work has also included collaboration on several documentaries and frequent speaking engagements.
Early life and career
Cunningham was born in Newark on June 26, 1915, one of eight children of Guy Cunningham, an expert radio repairman, and the former Margaret Morrissey. He was raised in Brookside, New Jersey near Morristown, where graduated from Morristown High SchoolMorristown High School
Morristown High School is a four-year public high school serving students in grades 9 - 12 from three communities in Morris County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Morris School District...
in 1932, and later able to able to pay tuition, he graduated from Drew University
Drew University
Drew University is a private university located in Madison, New Jersey.Originally established as the Drew Theological Seminary in 1867, the university later expanded to include an undergraduate liberal arts college in 1928 and commenced a program of graduate studies in 1955...
in 1938. He worked briefly for the Morristown Record, to which he had been contributing local interest articles since high school, and in 1939 was hired by the Newark News. During World War II, became a captain in the Army Air Corps and in 1946 returned to The News, remaining until 1963, when he began writing and publishing full time.
Later career
Cunningham began his writing about history while working at the Newark News, where around 1947 he was assigned a column called "Let's Explore". "My goals did not include either the writing of books or becoming a historian, said Cunningham who went on to become well respected historian and writer. "I doubt if there is a community in this state that I couldn't tell you about," he declared. "I consider myself a journalist rather than a historian. A journalist lets it fall where it should. We approach things with an open mind, while historians tend to take a subject and find the material to prove their point". The New York Times said that while Mr. Cunningham's books are not considered academic works, since illustrations are common and footnotes are rare, they are concise, energetic and well regarded among their genre.In the 1970s, he and his wife founded Afton Publishing, and he helped establish the New Jersey Historical Commission
New Jersey Historical Commission
The New Jersey Historical Commission is a government agency of the U.S. state of New Jersey that is responsible for "preserving the historical record and advancing interest in and awareness of New Jersey's past."...
He resides in Florham Park, New Jersey
Florham Park, New Jersey
Florham Park is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 8,857, which had grown to 12,389 as of the Bureau's 2008 estimate....
, where he continues his work.
Histories
- Baseball In New Jersey: The Game of History (New Jersey State MuseumNew Jersey State MuseumThe New Jersey State Museum is located at 205 West State Street in Trenton, New Jersey, United States, overlooking the Delaware River. The Museum is operated as part of the New Jersey Department of State. General admission is free....
, 1995) - Beginnings (Atlantic City Electric Company History, 1962)
- Capsules of New Jersey History (New Jersey Manufacturers Association, 1981)
- A Century of Progress a history of Passaic County (First National Bank of Passaic County, 1965)
- Chatham: At the Crossing of the Fishawack (Chatham Historical Society, 1966)
- Chatham (1997) and Madison (1998), Images of America Series (Arcadia PublishingArcadia PublishingArcadia Publishing is an American publisher of local history.-History:It was founded in Dover, New Hampshire in 1993 by United Kingdom-based Tempus Publishing, but became independent in 2004....
) - Clara Maas: A Nurse, a Hospital, a Spirit (Clara Maas Memorial Hospital, 1968)
- Colonial New Jersey (Thomas Nelson, 1964)
- Garden State: The Story of Agriculture in New Jersey (Rutgers University PressRutgers University PressRutgers University Press is a nonprofit academic publishing house, operating in Piscataway, New Jersey under the auspices of Rutgers University.-History:...
, 1955) - The East of Jersey (New Jersey Historical SocietyNew Jersey Historical SocietyThe New Jersey Historical Society is a historical society and museum located in Newark, New Jersey, United States. The Historical Society is housed in the former headquarters of the Essex Club. It has two floors of exhibition space, a gift shop, and a hall for lectures. The NJHS offers occasional...
, 1988) - Made in New Jersey (Rutgers University Press, 1954)
- Newark (New Jersey Historical Society, 1966)
- New Jersey, America's Main Road (Doubleday, 1966)
- On the Right Track, a history of the Madison Y.M.C.A. (Madison Y.M.C.A., 1990)
- The New Jersey Sampler: Historic Tales of Old New Jersey (Afton Publishing, 1964)
- New Jersey's Five Who Signed, on the Declaration of Independence (New Jersey Historical Commission, 1975)
- New Jersey's Rich Harvest: A Brief History Agriculture in New Jersey (New Jersey Agricultural Society, 1981)
- The New Jersey Shore (Rutgers University Press, 1958)
- Railroading in New Jersey (Associated Railroads of New Jersey, 1952)
- Railroads in New Jersey: The Formative Years (Afton Publishing, 1997)
- Remembering Essex, with Charles Cummings, (Donning Company, 1995)
- This Is New Jersey (Rutgers University Press, 1953)
- Thomas Edison: They Called Him Wizard (Public Service Electric and Gas CompanyPublic Service Electric and Gas CompanyPublic Service Enterprise Group , commonly known as PSEG, and originally known as the Public Service Corporation of New Jersey and then as the Public Service Electric and Gas Company, is a regulated, publicly owned gas and electric utility company in the state of New Jersey, United States. It is...
, 1979) - University in the Forest: The Story of Drew University (Afton Publishing, 1972)
Textbooks
- New Jersey: A Mirror on America, for high school (Afton Publishing, 1998)
- On the Go in New Jersey, elementary, (Afton Publishing, 1998)
- On the Go in New York, elementary, (1990)
- On the Go in Pennsylvania, elementary, (1991)
- You, New Jersey And the World, elementary, (1998)
Photo essays
These works were created in collaboration with Walter Choroszewski:- The Garden State in Bloom (Esthetic Press, 1993)
- New Jersey: A Scenic Discovery (Foremost Publishers, 1981)
- New Jersey: A Photographic Journey (Esthetic Press, 1987)
- New Jersey: Naturescapes and Detail (Esthetic Press, 1992)
- New Jersey: A Photographic Celebration (Esthetic Press, 1994)