Samuel George Fitzhugh Townsend (April 1872 – December 11, 1906) was an American
fencer who competed in the
1904 Summer Olympics
The 1904 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the III Olympiad and also known as St. Louis 1904) were an international multi-sport event held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from 29 August to 3 September 1904, as part of an extended s ...
. He competed under the name Fitzhugh Townsend. It was known that Fitzhugh was his middle name and was thought for a long time that his first name was Charles. However his graduation program from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
, his death announcement in the Columbia alumni newsletter, and his tombstone in the
Trinity Cemetery in New York City all give his full name as Samuel George Fitzhugh Townsend.
Townsend was a graduate of Columbia University in New York City with a degree in Physics. He fenced for the
Columbia Lions fencing team. After graduation, he became a professor at Columbia University teaching
electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...
.
In 1904 he won the silver medal in team foil competition.
He also competed in the
individual foil event but was eliminated in the first round. In the
individual épée event he finished fifth.
He died of typhus in 1906 and is buried in the Townsend family plot in Trinity Cemetery in New York City.
[Death List of a Day, New York Times, December 12, 1906.]
References
External links
Charles Townsend at databaseOlympics.com*
1872 births
1906 deaths
American male épée fencers
Columbia College (New York) alumni
Fencers at the 1904 Summer Olympics
Olympic silver medalists for the United States in fencing
Medalists at the 1904 Summer Olympics
American male foil fencers
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