(born April 18, 1675, Raynham Hall, Norfolk, Eng.—died June 21, 1738, Raynham) British politician. He succeeded to his father's title in 1687, married the sister of Robert Walpole, and served as secretary of state (1714–16).
With Walpole, Townshend led the Whig Party and became president of the privy council (1720). Again secretary of state (1721–30), he formed the League of Hanover (1725), which allied Britain, France, and Prussia against Austria and Spain. He resigned when Walpole, by then the dominant minister, opposed an aggressive policy against Austria. Also interested in agricultural reform, Townshend developed the use of turnips in crop rotation, earning the nickname Turnip Townshend.
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