Charles E. Townsend
Encyclopedia
Charles Elroy Townsend was a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from the state
of Michigan
.
Townsend was born near Concord, Michigan
and attended the common schools in Concord and Jackson
and the University of Michigan
at Ann Arbor
. He taught school at Concord 1881-1886 and was Jackson County
Register of Deeds 1886-1897. He studied law and was admitted to the bar
in 1895 and commenced practice in Jackson.
Townsend was elected as a Republican to the United States House of Representatives
for the Fifty-eighth and for the three succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1903 to March 4, 1911. He was elected to the United States Senate
in 1910 and was reelected in 1916, serving from March 4, 1911, to March 4, 1923. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1922. He was chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Coast and Insular Survey in the Sixty-second Congress, the U.S. Senate Committee on Expenditures in the War Department in the Sixty-fifth Congress, and the U.S. Senate Committee on Post Office and Post Roads in the Sixty-sixth and Sixty-seventh Congresses.
Townsend was appointed in 1923 as a member of the International Joint Commission
created to regulate the use of the boundary waters between the United States
and Canada
, in which capacity he served until his death in Jackson. He is interred in Maple Grove Cemetery, in Concord.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
Townsend was born near Concord, Michigan
Concord, Michigan
Concord is a village in Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,101 at the 2000 census. The village is located at , west of Spring Arbor, Michigan.- Government :...
and attended the common schools in Concord and Jackson
Jackson, Michigan
Jackson is a city located along Interstate 94 in the south central area of the U.S. state of Michigan, about west of Ann Arbor and south of Lansing. It is the county seat of Jackson County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534...
and the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
at Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
. He taught school at Concord 1881-1886 and was Jackson County
Jackson County, Michigan
As of the census of 2000, there were 158,422 people, 58,168 households, and 40,833 families residing in the county. The population density was 224 people per square mile . There were 62,906 housing units at an average density of 89/sq mi...
Register of Deeds 1886-1897. He studied law and was admitted to the bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
in 1895 and commenced practice in Jackson.
Townsend was elected as a Republican to the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for the Fifty-eighth and for the three succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1903 to March 4, 1911. He was elected to the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
in 1910 and was reelected in 1916, serving from March 4, 1911, to March 4, 1923. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1922. He was chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Coast and Insular Survey in the Sixty-second Congress, the U.S. Senate Committee on Expenditures in the War Department in the Sixty-fifth Congress, and the U.S. Senate Committee on Post Office and Post Roads in the Sixty-sixth and Sixty-seventh Congresses.
Townsend was appointed in 1923 as a member of the International Joint Commission
International Joint Commission
The International Joint Commission is an independent binational organization established by the United States and Canada under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909.The Commission has responsibilities related to the following treaties and agreements:...
created to regulate the use of the boundary waters between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, in which capacity he served until his death in Jackson. He is interred in Maple Grove Cemetery, in Concord.