Lawrence Townsend
Encyclopedia
Lawrence Townsend was an American diplomat and later in life, after his retirement from government service, a business executive in Washington, DC.

Born in Philadelphia, Lawrence Townsend was educated at Mantua Academy (1872–77) and entered the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...

 in the class of 1881. He withdrew from the university at the end of his junior year and went west to Plateau, Colorado, where he owned a large ranch (1881–1886). Returning to Pennsylvania, he married Natalie Hannau of Philadelphia on March 8, 1886. In 1889, he went to Vienna to study law and the history of diplomacy, specializing in international law. He published numerous translations of French and German articles in his area of specialization.

From Vienna, he launched his diplomatic career. He served as First Secretary of the U.S. Legation in Vienna from 1893–97 and from there was promoted to the post of U.S. Minister to Portugal on June 9, 1897. He served in Lisbon until his transfer to Brussels on April 15, 1899, where he served as U.S. Minister to Belgium until 1905. In 1905 he moved to Washington, DC, and joined the Washington Gas
Washington Gas
WGL Holdings, Inc. , is a public utility holding company located in the United States that serves customers in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia...

 Light Company as its treasurer and later secretary.

He and his wife lived in Washington's fashionable Dupont Circle
Dupont Circle
Dupont Circle is a traffic circle, park, neighborhood, and historic district in Northwest Washington, D.C. The traffic circle is located at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue NW, Connecticut Avenue NW, New Hampshire Avenue NW, P Street NW, and 19th Street NW...

 area, at 1416 Twentieth Street, NW, and were prominent members of the Washington social and cultural scene. Later in life, Townsend became active in the English-Speaking Union
English-Speaking Union
The English-Speaking Union is an international educational charity which was founded by the journalist Evelyn Wrench in 1918. The ESU aims to "bring together and empower people of different languages and cultures," by building skills and confidence in communication, such that individuals realize...

. He died in 1954.

Sources

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