Micah Townsend (May 13, 1749 – April 23, 1832) was an attorney and political leader in Revolutionary War-era Vermont. The offices he served in included

Secretary of State of Vermont The secretary of state of Vermont is one of five cabinet-level constitutional officers in the U.S. state of Vermont which are elected every two years. The secretary of state is fourth (behind the lieutenant governor, speaker of the House of Repres ...

Biography

Townsend was born in Oyster Bay, New York on May 13, 1749. The son of Micajah Townsend and Elizabeth Platt, he graduated from the College of New jersey (now

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

) in 1766, and received a master's degree in 1769. Townsend studied law with Thomas Jones of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, 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 ...

, and began a practice in White Plains. He was appointed secretary of

Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...

's Committee of Safety, and in June 1776 he was commissioned as a captain and appointed to command a company, Townsend's Rangers, in the New York

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

. He served until November 1776, when his company was disbanded. After his militia service, Townsend relocated to

Brattleboro, Vermont Brattleboro (), originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The most populous municipality abutting Vermont's eastern border with New Hampshire, which is the Connecticut River, Brattleboro is located about ...

. Initially a supporter of New York's government in its ongoing dispute with local residents concerning jurisdiction over Vermont, Townsend later became a supporter of the Vermont government's claims. From 1781 to 1789 he was judge and register of probate for Windham County's

Marlboro Marlboro (, ) is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Philip Morris USA (a branch of Altria) within the United States and by Philip Morris International (now separate from Altria) outside the US. The largest Mar ...

district. From 1781 to 1788, Townsend served as Vermont's Secretary of State. From 1781 to 1791, he was clerk of Windham County. After resigning his offices, Townsend continued to practice law in Brattleboro. In 1801, Townsend sold his Brattleboro home and land to Royall Tyler, and moved to Guilford. In 1802, he moved again, this time to Farnham,

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada. He farmed and practiced law, and continued to reside in Farnham until 1816, when he moved to Clarenceville. In Clarenceville, Townsend resided with his son, the Reverend Micajah Townsend. Though he had intended to retire, after moving to Canada Townsend was persuaded by the community to accept appointments as justice of the peace and small claims judge, which he carried out until well into his seventies. Townsend died in Clarenceville on April 23, 1832. He was buried at Saint Georges Anglican Cemetery in Clarenceville.

Family

In 1778, Townsend married Mary Wells (1760–1831). They were the parents of eight children, including: Harriet Matilda (1779–1848); Samuel Wells (1781–1817); Epenetus (1783–1839); Rebecca Gale (1784–1830); Mary (1786–1839); Micajah (1789–1871); and Sarah Barnard (1800–1844).

References

Sources

Books

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Townshend, Micah 1749 births 1832 deaths People from Oyster Bay (town), New York Princeton University alumni People from White Plains, New York New York (state) lawyers People of New York (state) in the American Revolution People of pre-statehood Vermont Vermont lawyers People from Brattleboro, Vermont Secretaries of State of Vermont Vermont state court judges Lawyers in Quebec Burials in Quebec 19th-century American lawyers