William Townsend (August 22, 1848 in Walton, Delaware County, New York – December 23, 1919 in Utica, Oneida County, New York) was an American lawyer and politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Life

He was the son of John Townsend (1803–1870) and Sarah (Howell) Townsend (1821–1904). He attended Walton Academy; and graduated from Yale College in 1871. Then he studied law with Charles Mason, was admitted to the bar in 1876, and practiced in Utica. He was Assistant District Attorney of Oneida county from 1876 to 1878; and a member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

(Oneida Co., 1st D.) in

1883 Events January–March * January 4 – ''Life'' magazine is founded in Los Angeles, California, United States. * January 10 – A fire at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, kills 73 people. * Ja ...

. Townsend was again Assistant D.A. of Oneida County from 1897 to 1902; and was a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

(34th D.) in

1903 Events January * January 1 – Edward VII is proclaimed Emperor of India. * January 19 – The first west–east transatlantic radio broadcast is made from the United States to England (the first east–west broadcast having been ...

and

1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system. * ...

. He was Corporation Counsel of Utica from 1910 to 1911. He died on December 23, 1919, at his home at 12 Park Place in Utica, after "he had been ill for some little time"; and was buried at the Walton Cemetery in Walton.

Sources

''Official New York from Cleveland to Hughes''
by Charles Elliott Fitch (Hurd Publishing Co., New York and Buffalo, 1911, Vol. IV; pg. 316 and 365)
Biographical sketches of the members of the Legislature
in ''The Evening Journal Almanac'' (1883)
''The New York Red Book''
by Edgar L. Murlin (1903; pg. 99)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Townsend, William 1848 births 1919 deaths Democratic Party New York (state) state senators Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly People from Walton, New York Yale College alumni Politicians from Utica, New York 19th-century American legislators 20th-century American legislators