He was born in Trois-Rivières, Lower Canada, the son of Job Cushing, who came to the Eastern Townships from the United States.
In 1821, he moved to Vermont for a short time but returned to Chatham Township in Lower Canada after a few months.
He organized a group of volunteers during the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837 which protected the village of Saint-Eustache and the registry office at Saint-Benoît from pillaging.
Cushing was mayor of Chatham township from 1861 to 1872 and then warden of Argenteuil County from 1872 until his death three years later.
His son Lemuel was a Montreal lawyer who served briefly in the House of Commons of Canada.