James Matthew Townsend

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.

At the outset of the American Civil War (1861–1865), Townsend desired to join the Union Army, and in 1863 he joined the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, among the first African American regiments recruited.

Politics In 1884 he was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives where he worked for civil rights.

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. 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, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch criticized him for, in the course of condemning the lynching of Neal Smith in Tennessee, suggesting "the torch must be applied in those cities where the outrages occur." The paper labeled him "a wicked counselor of his race."

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.