John Gillis TOWNSEND, Jr., Congress, DE (1871-1964)

TOWNSEND, John Gillis, Jr., a Senator from Delaware; born on a farm in Worcester County, Md., near Selbyville, Del., May 31, 1871; attended the rural schools; moved to Selbyville, Sussex County, Del., in 1895 and engaged in banking; also interested in manufacturing and agricultural pursuits; member, State house of representatives 1901-1903; Governor of Delaware 1917-1921; elected as a Republican to the United States Senate in 1928; reelected in 1934 and served from March 4, 1929, to January 3, 1941; unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1940; chairman, Committee to Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses (Seventy-second Congress); member of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial Commission 1939-1940; trustee of several colleges and universities; resumed banking, agricultural pursuits, and the raising and processing of poultry and vegetables; was a resident of Selbyville, Del.; died in Philadelphia, Pa., April 10, 1964; interment in Red Men’s Cemetery, Selbyville, Del.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present