Martin I. Townsend

Townsend was born on February 6, 1810, in Hancock, Massachusetts. He was one of four children born to Nathaniel Townsend and Cynthia (née Marsh) Townsend. He moved with his parents to Williamstown, Massachusetts, in 1816. He attended the common schools, and graduated from Williams College in 1833. ==Career==

After his graduation from Williams, he studied law with David Dudley Field in Albany, and then moved to Troy to become a clerk in the law office his brother, Rufus M. Townsend. Townsend was elected as a Republican to the 44th and 45th United States Congresses, and served from March 4, 1875, to March 3, 1879. He was United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York from 1879 to 1887. He retired from legal practice in 1901. ==Personal life==

In 1836, Townsend was married to Louisa Bacon Kellogg (1812–1890), a student at the Emma Willard School and the daughter of Oren Kellogg, Esq. Together, they were the parents of a daughter: • Frances Kellogg Townsend (b. 1841), on September 7, 1864. Townsend became gravely ill in December 1891, but recovered and lived for 12 more years. He died at his home in Troy, New York, of bronchial pneumonia on March 8, 1903. He was buried at the Oakwood Cemetery in Troy. ==References==