Cunningham, Richard (1793 - 1835)

Born: England (Wimbledon, Surrey)

Colonial Botanist and superintendant of the Sydney Botanic Gardens; murdered by Aborigines on Sir Thomas Mitchell's Darling River expedition 1835.

Career Highlights

Richard Cunningham spent 18 years as an amanuensis at the Royal Botanical Garden at Kew, until appointed in 1832 (upon the recommendation of his brother, Alan) to the position of colonial botantist and superintendent of the Sydney Botanic Garden. He spent some months in New Zealand collecting plants in 1833-34, before returning to NSW and joining Mitchell's 1835 Darling River expedition. He went missing from the party on the Bogan River on 17 April, and was belived to have been murdered by Aborignes.

Biographies

see ADB, s.v. "Cunningham, Richard", by V. Parsons, 1: 268-9.