Charles James Townshend

Sir Charles James Townshend, KC (22 March 1844 – 16 June 1924) was renowned Canadian judge and politician.

He was born in Amherst, Nova Scotia, son of the Rev. Canon Townshend, rector of Amherst, and Elizabeth, his wife, daughter of the late honourable Alexander Stewart, C.B., formerly master of the Rolls of the Province of Nova Scotia and judge of the Vice-Admiralty Court. Canon Townshend was the son of the late Honourable William Townshend of Wrexham, England. The family were descended from the Townshends of Norfolk, England.

Charles James Townshend was educated at the Collegiate school, Windsor, Nova Scotia, and subsequently at the University of King's College, Windsor, where he graduated with high honours in 1862. His chief studies were classics, mathematics, and French and German. He took the degree of B.A in 1863, and B.C.L.. in 1872.

In the old Nova Scotia militia, he was gazetted captain 1st Cumberland Regiment in 1863, and the next year was appointed adjutant to the same regiment. He continued an active officer until the change made after Confederation reorganizing the whole system, when he retired from further connection with the service.

Townshend was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia in April 1866. He studied law in the office of the Honourable Senator Robert B. Dickey at Amherst. Shortly after Townshend had been admitted to the bar, Senator Dickey retired from practice, and he succeeded to a large and lucrative business. He was a leading counsel in the province for many years, and was engaged in all important cases in Cumberland and in some of the adjoining counties.

In 1881, he was appointed by the Dominion government a Queen's Counsel. In 1874, he was nominated by the Liberal-Conservative convention as local candidate for the County of Cumberland. He contested the seat and was defeated by a small majority, owing to an unfortunate split in the Conservative ranks which resulted in three Conservative candidates taking the field. In 1878, he again contested the county for the local seat in conjunction with Sir Charles Tupper, who ran at the same time for the House of Commons, and with him was returned by a majority of nearly 600. The result of the general elections was to defeat the existing administration in Nova Scotia.

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