Cunningham took holy orders in 1873, later serving as chaplain of Trinity College, Cambridge, from 1880 to 1891. He was university lecturer in history from 1884 to 1891, in which year he was appointed Tooke Professor of Economy and Statistics at
King's College, London, a post which he held until 1897. He was lecturer in economic history at
Harvard University (), and
Hulsean Lecturer at Cambridge (1885). He became vicar of
Great St Mary's, Cambridge, in 1887, and was a founding
fellow of the British Academy. In 1907 he was appointed
Archdeacon of Ely. Cunningham's
Growth of English Industry and Commerce During the Early and Middle Ages (1890; 4th ed., 1905) and
Growth of English Industry and Commerce in Modern Times (1882; 3rd ed., 1903) were at the time among the standard works of reference on the industrial history of England. Cunningham's eminence as an economic historian gave special importance to his support of
Joseph Chamberlain from 1903 onwards in criticizing the English
free-trade policies and advocating
tariff reform. He was a critic of the nascent
neoclassical economics, particularly as propounded by his colleague,
Alfred Marshall, and the Cambridge school. Cunningham has been described as "a champion of women's education in Cambridge." He taught the British historian
Annie Abram. Cunningham died in 1919 in
Cambridge, England. == Works ==