Born September 17, 1894 in Chicago, Illinois. He was the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Simpson Cunningham of Evanston, Illinois. He was a graduate of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. While at Yale Oliver was on the board of the Yale Daily News, a member of Psi U Fraternity, Elizabethan Club, Phi Beta Kappa, Skull & Bones, Student Council, Manager of the Yale Dramatic Assoc. and the Artillery Corps of the Connecticut State Militia. served in the United States Army during World War I as a Lieutenant in the 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Division, AEF, entering the service from Illinois. He fought at Chateau Thierry, Vaux, and Belleau Woods, and St. Mihiel. He was killed by mortar fire near the village of Jaulny, France, on his 24th birthday. He was buried with military honors at a lonely crossroads near the scene of his death. Later his body was taken to the St Mihiel American Cemetery on the edge of the town of Thiaucourt. In the parish church at Thiaucourt a special set of chimes (bells) were dedicated in his memory on May 30th 1920, American Memorial Day. He also has a cenotaph located in Rosehill Cemetery and Mausoleum, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA.