John Cunningham (Danish: Hans Kønig; c. 1575 – 9 December 1651) was a Scottish nobleman, explorer, Dano-Norwegian naval captain, and Governor of Finnmark.
[1] Along with the 70-ton Den Røde Løve and the 20-ton Katten, the ships were directed by the Danish King, Christian IV, to re-establish contact with the Norse settlements in Greenland, the first of three annual expeditions sent between 1605 and 1607.
In 1615, Cunningham was among the commanders aboard the naval expedition under Gabriel Kruse sent to Spitsbergen to demand tolls from foreign whalers.
The following year, he captained the Gabriel as part of the naval expedition under Jørgen Daa sent to rid the coasts of Norway, the Faeroes, and Iceland of illegal whalers and pirates.
In 1619, Cunningham was made Governor of Finnmark in the far north, a post he retained until his death in 1651.