James Matthew Townsend (August 18, 1841 – June 17, 1913) was an African Methodist Episcopal (AME) minister and a state legislator from Indiana. A Republican, he served in the legislature in the 1884 session. From 1889 to 1891 he was recorder at the General Land Office in Washington, D.C., appointed by President Benjamin Harrison.

Early life

Townsend was born in Gallipolis, Ohio, on August 18, 1841, to William and Mary Ann Townsend. The family later moved to Oxford, Ohio, and Townsend attended local common schools. Townsend's parents were members of the AME church, and at the age of twelve he joined the church, led in Oxford by John Turner. At the age of sixteen, Townsend was licensed to exhort; and at eighteen, he was licensed to preach.Simmons, William J., and Henry McNeal Turner. Men of Mark: Eminent, Progressive and Rising. GM Rewell & Company, 1887. p1135-1138 At the outset 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 th ...

(1861–1865), Townsend desired to join the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

, and in 1863 he joined the

54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that saw extensive service in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The unit was the second African-American regiment, following the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry ...

, among the first African American regiments recruited.

Career

Townsend mustered out of service at the end of the war in 1865 and returned to Ohio where he enrolled in Oberlin College. After two years, he left school to take care of his family when his father died. He was appointed to the position of principal of the colored schools of

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

, by the American Missionary Board of the AME church, during which time he continued his education. In 1871 he was ordained deacon by Bishop A. W. Wayman. Also in December 1871 he married Cornelia A. Settle, daughter of Josiah and Nancy Settle and sister of

Josiah T. Settle Josiah "Joe" Thomas Settle (September 30, 1850 – August 21, 1915) was a lawyer in Washington, D.C., Sardis, Mississippi, and Memphis, Tennessee. He was a part of Howard University's first graduating class in 1872. In 1875, he moved to Mississ ...

. In June 1872, he was appointed pastor of a church in Richmond, Indiana, and in 1874 he was ordained elder. That same year he was appointed to a church in

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

. In 1876 he was made a member of the general conference and elected assistant secretary of the conference. From 1876 to 1878 he was appointed to Bethel station church in Indianapolis. He was also elected as corresponding secretary of the Parent Home and Foreign Missionary Society, a position he held for many years. He was also a delegate to the World Methodist Ecumenical Conference in London in 1881. In 1883 he was awarded a doctor of divinity from

Wilberforce University Wilberforce University is a private historically black university in Wilberforce, Ohio. Affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), it was the first college to be owned and operated by African Americans. It participates in t ...

. He was also a trustee of the college.

Politics

In 1884 he was elected to the

Indiana House of Representatives The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House memb ...

where he worked for civil rights. He was an active Republican campaigner as well. In 1889, Townsend was appointed to the position of recorder of the United States General Land Office in Washington, D.C., by President Benjamin Harrison.Seraile, William. Bruce Grit: The Black Nationalist Writings of John Edward Bruce. Univ. of Tennessee Press, 2003. p35-40 In 1891 he resigned and returned to Indiana. In 1893 he became pastor of Quinn Chapel in Chicago. In the 1890s, Townsend was an outspoken opponent of lynching. In 1895 he was widely criticized for his condemnation of the lynching of Neal Smith in Tennessee.

Later career

In 1901 he took charge of Bethel AME church in Indianapolis.

Family and death

Townsend married Cornelia A. Settle (1843-1923) in 1871. They had two daughters, one of whom was Grace E. (Townsend) Fowler (1889 - 1918). Townsend died June 17, 1913, at his home in Richmond after several months' illness. He was survived by his wife and daughters. His funeral was at his home and he was buried in Richmond's Earlham cemetery.Prominent Colored Minister is Dead, Palladium (Richmond, Indiana) June 18, 1913, page 1. Retrieved February 9, 2017 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8844700/prominent_colored_minister_is_dead/

References