Background
Cullen was the son of a barrister, Archibald Cullen and his wife Finella Sinclair.
Cullen was the son of a barrister, Archibald Cullen and his wife Finella Sinclair.
During his stay in India, he took a scholarly interest in the region and contributed to journals on geology, plants and the culture of the region. He was instrumental in establishing the Napier Museum in Trivandrum. He died at Allepey in Kerala, where a road is named after him.
He joined the Madras Artillery and was in the position of Lieutenant in 1803.
Cullen was posted in India in 1804 and his early service was at Khandeish and Berar as part of the Hyderabad subsidiary force. He commanded an artillery brigade during 1805 that helped overthrow a Mahratta force.
He was part of the reinforcement sent from Madras to fight the French and was present during the capture of Saint Denis in Bourbon in July 1810 during the Napoleonic Wars. He was promoted Colonel in 1842 and posted as Resident in 1840 following the death of Colonel Maclean.
Promoted to Major General and then Lieutenant
General in November 1851, he remained as Resident from September 1840 to January 1860 and continued to live in Travancore after his retirement. He tried to move to the Nilgiris for health, but on the way he caught a fever at Quilon and died at Allepey on 1 October 1862.