Waddell Cunningham


Waddell Cunningham was the founding president of the Belfast Chamber of Commerce and first president of the Harbour Board. He was one of the founding members of the Belfast Charitable Society, Clifton House, Belfast. Reputedly the richest man in Belfast, he attempted to establish a slave trading company in Belfast in 1786. The “Belfast Slaveship Company” was opposed strongly by Thomas McCabe, another founding member.
Cunningham was responsible for the construction of Bank Buildings in Belfast, designed by Sir Robert Taylor.