Cunningham was born in Deer Lodge, Montana. He studied at Princeton, but left after two years for financial reasons.

In the mid thirties, Cunningham sought work in New York publishing. He sold advertising for Vogue, wrote promotion for Stage and served as US publicity representative for French musicologist Hugues Panassiè.

In 1941, he found editorial work with Fiction House (1941-1943).

Cunningham later worked for Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Collier's and Garden City Publishing Co.

In 1953, Cunningham became a freelancer. He died suddenly the next year after a fall apparently caused by a cerebral hemorrhage.

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