Hosea Townsend (June 16, 1840 – March 4, 1909) was an attorney and a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

. Appointed by Presidents McKinley and Roosevelt, he was a United States judge for the southern district of the Indian Territory from 1897 to 1907.

Early life and education

Born on a farm in Greenwich, Ohio, his parents were Hiram and Eliza Townsend. His father came to

New London, Ohio New London is a village in Huron County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,461 at the 2010 census. The village motto, "The Right Place at the Right Time", was chosen in the late twentieth century by former Mayor Dorothy Sholes. New Lon ...

from Massachusetts in 1816. Townsend attended the common schools and Western Reserve College, Cleveland, Ohio, in 1860.

Civil War

He was a student at the Western Reserve College at the outbreak of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. He enlisted in the Second Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, in 1861. He was promoted to lieutenant. He was stationed at

Fort Gibson Fort Gibson is a historic military site next to the modern city of Fort Gibson, in Muskogee County Oklahoma. It guarded the American frontier in Indian Territory from 1824 to 1888. When it was constructed, the fort was farther west than any ot ...

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...

during part of the war. He contracted a case of

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

and resigned in 1863 due to a disability.

Career

He studied law and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1864 or 1865. He began practicing law in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

in 1865. He served as member of the State house of representatives in 1869. He practiced law in Memphis until 1881. He moved to Colorado in 1879 and settled in Silver Cliff in 1881. He made and lost a fortune in the mining business. Townsend was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the Fifty-first and Fifty-second Congresses (March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1893). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1892. He served as delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1892. He was a United States judge for the southern district of the Indian Territory from 1897 to 1907. He served on the Court of Appeals. He was first appointed by President

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

and he was re-appointed by President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

in 1902 and 1906. Oklahoma achieved statehood in 1907 and the Indian Territory court was closed. He remained in Ardmore and practiced law.

Personal life

He married Anna Augusta Barnes on November 28, 1865 and they had two children, John Barnes Townsend and Anna Bell Townsend. After they moved to Ardmore, Oklahoma of the Indian Territory, Anna decided that the area needed a library and obtained funding from

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

about 1903. The Ardmore Carnegie Library was opened on October 1, 1906. Anna and Hosea donated 800 books for the library. He died in Ardmore, Oklahoma on March 4, 1909. He was interred in Woodlawn Cemetery,

Norwalk, Ohio Norwalk is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Huron County. The population was 17,012 at the 2010 census. The city is the center of the Norwalk Micropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Cleveland-Akron-Canton Combined ...

. Anna died in 1915.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Townsend, Hosea 1840 births 1909 deaths Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Colorado Republican Party members of the Tennessee House of Representatives Indian Territory judges 19th-century American politicians People from Memphis, Tennessee People from Ardmore, Oklahoma 19th-century American judges