Charles Cunningham Boycott (1832-1897) was an English estate manager in Ireland. His name became the origin of the term boycott.

Charles Cunningam Boycott was born March 12 1832 in Norfolk, England.

Boycott retired from the British Army in 1873 as a captain, He became an estate agent for the 3rd Earl of Erne in his estates in County Mayo in Ireland. In 1879 he opposed the land reform of the Irish Land League.

Previously, Boycott could have easily expelled any uncooperative tenants because there were always others to take their place. He used this fact to continually increase the land rent to unreasonable levels. Now Irish Land League convinced people, especially his tenants, not to work for him. His tenants and servants refused to work and even merchants and a mailman refused to serve him.

Boycott hired 50 protestant Orangemen for the autumn harvest of 1880. However, government had to spent £10.000 for 100 soldiers to protect him and he had to export his supplies through sea with large expense. Locals did nothing violent, just isolated Boycott.

Boycott left Ireland for good in 1886. He died June 19 1897 in Flixton , Suffolk.