Horatio Townshend
Horatio Townshend | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth year and age |
| Died | October 4, 1751 (aged 68) |
| Occupation(s) | Financier, legislator |
| Years active | 1715–1734 (Member of Parliament), 1733–1735 (Governor of the Bank of England) |
| Known for | Governor of the Bank of England, Member of Parliament for Great Yarmouth and Heytesbury |
Horatio Townshend (circa 1683 – 4 October 1751) was an English financier and legislator who held a seat in the British House of Commons from 1715 until 1734.
The son of Horatio Townshend, 1st Viscount Townshend and Mary Ashe, herself the daughter of Sir Joseph Ashe, 1st Baronet, Townshend received his education at Eton College.
He represented Great Yarmouth as a Member of Parliament from 1715 to 1722, after which he took on a directorship at the Bank of England. Subsequently, he served as MP for Heytesbury between 1727 and 1734.
Townshend held the position of Governor of the Bank of England between 1733 and 1735, having previously been Deputy Governor for one year. He followed Edward Bellamy in this role and was succeeded by Bryan Benson. Beyond his banking responsibilities, he acted as a Commissioner on the Victualling Board from 1747 until 1765.
On 21 April 1721, he entered into marriage with Alice Starkey through a Fleet Marriage.
He passed away on 4 October 1751 and was interred at St. George the Martyr Cemetery in Brunswick Square, resting alongside his wife Alice (deceased 1747) and their three children.