Background
He was born in Rockhill, County Limerick, Ireland on 1 October 1843, to John Sandes Cussen and Catheine Carroll.
He was born in Rockhill, County Limerick, Ireland on 1 October 1843, to John Sandes Cussen and Catheine Carroll.
He worked for a time with the East India Company before moving to New Zealand. From 1876 he spent 15 years triangulating a large part of the former Auckland Province. He died at home in Hamilton in November 1903 after a short illness, and was buried in Hamilton West Cemetery.