Milton Joseph Cunningham

Milton Joseph Cunningham, also known as Joe Cunningham (March 10, 1842 – October 19, 1916) was a Louisiana attorney and politician who served as Attorney General of Louisiana from 1884 to 1888, and from 1892 to 1900.

Milton Joseph "Joe" Cunningham
Attorney General of Louisiana
In office 1884–1888
Governor	Samuel Douglas McEnery
Preceded by	James C. Egan
Succeeded by	Walter Henry Rogers
In office 1892–1900
Governor	Murphy J. Foster, Sr.
Preceded by	Walter Henry Rogers
Succeeded by	Walter Guion
Louisiana State Senator from Natchitoches and DeSoto parishes
In office 1880–1884
Succeeded by	Two-member delegation: J. Fisher Smith Edgar W. Sutherlin
Louisiana State Representative
In office 1878–1880
Preceded by	Three-member delegation: L. G. Barron John G. Lewis Henry Raby
Succeeded by	Two-member delegation: James H. Cosgrove R. E. Jackson
Personal details
Born	(1842-03-10)March 10, 1842 DeSoto Parish Louisiana, USA
Died	October 19, 1916(1916-10-19) (aged 74) New Orleans, Louisiana
Cause of death	Atherosclerosis
Resting place	American Cemetery in Natchitoches, Louisiana
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	(1) Thalia Allen Tharp (married 1866-1872, her death) (2) Anne Peyton (married 1874-1878, her death) (3) Cecile Hertzog (married 1880-1886, her death) (4) Emma Mai Blouin (married 1895-1916, his death )
Relations	W. Peyton Cunningham (grandson) Mildred Methvin (great-great-granddaughter)
Children	Twelve children, including: William Tharp Cunningham Charles Milton Cunningham
Parent(s)	John Hamilton and Ann Buie Cunningham
Occupation	Attorney Landowner
Signature

As Attorney General he submitted the legal brief to the Supreme Court in the case Plessy v. Ferguson arguing in favor of separate rail cars for people of different races.^[1]

Cunningham served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1878 to 1880 and in the Louisiana State Senate from 1880 to 1884.^[2]

References

1. "Milton Joseph Cunningham, Obituary". Times Picayune. October 20, 1916., cited in Mimi Methvin McManus (May 29, 2003). "Milton Joseph Cunningham". genealogy.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
2. "Membership in the Louisiana Senate, 1880-Present" (PDF). senate.la.gov. Retrieved October 2, 2014.

Legal offices
Preceded by James C. Egan	Attorney General of Louisiana Milton Joseph "Joe" Cunningham 1884 – 1888	Succeeded by Walter Henry Rogers
Preceded by Walter Henry Rogers	Attorney General of Louisiana Milton Joseph "Joe" Cunningham 1892 – 1900	Succeeded by Walter Guion
Louisiana State Senate
Preceded by Missing	Louisiana State Senator from Natchitoches and DeSoto parishes Milton Joseph "Joe" Cunningham 1880 – 1884	Succeeded by J. Fisher Smith Edgar W. Sutherlin
Louisiana House of Representatives
Preceded by Three-member delegation: L. G. Barron John G. Lewis Henry Raby	Louisiana State Representative from Natchitoches Parish Milton Joseph "Joe" Cunningham 1878 – 1880	Succeeded by Two-member delegation: James H. Cosgrove R. E. Jackson