Jesse Cleveland Cunningham

Title

Jesse Cleveland Cunningham

birthday

4 October 1876

Birthplace

Greenville County, SC

Death Date

18 August 1936

Occupation

Building contractor

Biographical Text

Jesse Cleveland Cunningham was the fourth child of Asa Cunningham, Jr. He was only five years old when his father died. He became a carpenter, and from the age of 18 he was in the building and contracting business. He married Lillie Lee Burnett, daughter of John Barnett Burnett and Ruth Ann Wood, on May 3, 1900. Richardson's "History of Greenville County" reports that prior to 1930, he had built more than half of all buildings constructed in Greer. This included the Presbyterian church; Baptist church; D.D. Davenport High School; Marchant Building (Rexall Drug), Reese Building; Bailey Building; Thompson Hardware; and many of the mill houses for Victor, Greer, and Franklin Mills.

He was instrumental in the formation of the Bank of Greer; president of C&D Chevrolet; chairman of Greer CPW; and president of Piedmont Lumber Company, Greenville.

Bibliography

Paget, James S. Descendants of William Cunningham of Fauquier County, Virginia, and Greenville County, South Carolina: 28 July 1770-14 October 1853. Reprint Co., 1994.

Richardson, James McDowell, and Margaret H. Cannon. History of Greenville County, South Carolina: Narrative and Biographical. The Reprint Company, 2011.