David Townsend (botanist)
David Townsend | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Pughtown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | December 6, 1858 (aged 70) West Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Banker, botanist, community leader |
| Known for | Founding the National Bank of Chester County; Townsendia plant genus named in his honor |
David Townsend (December 13, 1787 – December 6, 1858) was a distinguished American banker, botanist, and community leader originating from Chester County, Pennsylvania. Throughout his life, he maintained a close relationship with botanist William Darlington and played a key role in establishing the National Bank of Chester County, where he held the position of chief cashier. The plant genus Townsendia was named to honor his contributions.
Biography
Townsend was born in Pughtown, Pennsylvania to Quaker farmers Samuel and Priscilla Yarnell Townsend. He received foundational instruction in mathematics and English locally before beginning work as a clerk at the Chester County Register and Recorder's office in 1810. That same year, he moved to West Chester, where he resided until his passing.
In 1813, Townsend secured election as Chester County commissioner and later became county treasurer in 1816. He was instrumental in founding the National Bank of Chester County in 1814 and served as its chief cashier from 1817 through 1849, working closely alongside bank president William Darlington. Townsend also supervised the construction of the bank’s new headquarters between 1835 and 1837. Outside of banking, he acted as trustee and treasurer for West Chester Academy from 1821 to 1854 and briefly held the office of Chester County prothonotary in 1827. His departure from the bank followed an accidental head injury that eventually contributed to his death.
In 1812, Townsend married Rebecca Sharpless; together they had seven children, including Washington Townsend, who later represented Pennsylvania as a U.S. Congressman from 1869 to 1877.
David Townsend passed away at his residence in West Chester on December 6, 1858, and was laid to rest at Oaklands Cemetery located in West Goshen Township, Pennsylvania.
Botany
An avid amateur botanist, Townsend maintained lifelong friendships and professional ties with figures such as William Darlington and was active within a botanical community that included Josiah Hoopes in Chester County. He corresponded with prominent botanists including John Torrey, Francis Boott, and William Jackson Hooker, the latter of whom named the genus Townsendia after him. Hooker regarded Townsend’s plant specimens among the most attractive he had encountered. Townsend cultivated extensive gardens at his West Chester home featuring a variety of rare fruit trees and ornamental plants. Upon his retirement from banking, the institution’s directors commemorated him with silver pitchers engraved with Townsendia.
In 1826, Townsend co-established the Chester County Cabinet of Natural Sciences, fulfilling roles as treasurer and secretary until declining health limited his involvement. This organization later merged with West Chester Academy in 1871 to support the founding of West Chester Normal School (present-day West Chester University). After his death, Townsend’s plant collections were donated to this school alongside those of Darlington and Hoopes. These specimens now constitute part of the Darlington Herbarium (Index Herbariorum code DWC), preserved within the university library’s special collections.
Additional specimens from Townsend’s assemblage are curated by institutions such as the National Herbarium of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, the herbarium at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, and the Shirley C. Tucker Herbarium at Louisiana State University. His plant samples are often identifiable by distinctive red or blue labels adorned with intricate lacy borders.