George T. Cunningham

{{short description|American-born Canadian businessman and druggist}}

{{Infobox person

| name = George T. Cunningham

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_name = George Torrance Cunningham

| birth_date = February 18, 1889

| birth_place = Dunseith, North Dakota, USA

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1965|03|07|1889|02|12}}

| death_place = Palm Springs, California, USA

| nationality = Canadian

| other_names =

| occupation = businessman, druggist

| years_active =

| known_for = Cunningham's

| notable_works =

}}

George Torrance Cunningham (February 12, 1889 – March 7, 1965) was an American-born Canadian businessman and the founder of Cunningham's, the 52-store British Columbia pharmacy chain that later became part of Shoppers Drug Mart. Cunningham was also an alderman, a member of the Vancouver School Board and was on the Board of Governors of the University of British Columbia for 30 years.{{cite web |title=About Us |publisher=Cunningham Elementary School |url=http://cunningham.vsb.bc.ca/about/index.html |accessdate=2008-05-09 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070817224646/http://cunningham.vsb.bc.ca/about/index.html |archivedate=2007-08-17 }} He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the university after his death for his philanthropy, public service and dedication to education.{{cite web | title =Honorary Degree Citations 1963-1972 | publisher = UBC Archives | url = http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/hdcites/hdcites6.html#cunningham | accessdate = 2008-05-09 }}

Cunningham was also involved in athletics in Vancouver in the 1920s, as a president of the Vancouver Amateur Ice Hockey Association, as well as a manager of the Vancouver Monarchs ice hockey team.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vCdlAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kIgNAAAAIBAJ&pg=880%2C3076459 "Kiwani Club Elects Officers"] The Vancouver Sun, December 2, 1921 (p. 3). Retrieved 2023-08-22.

Cunningham was born in Dunseith, North Dakota in February 1889 but came to Vancouver with his family as a child. He died while on vacation in Palm Springs, California in March 1965."George T. Cunningham", The Vancouver Sun, March 9, 1965 (p. 4).