Townsend Haines
{{Short description|American politician and judge (1792–1865)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Townsend Haines
| image = Townsend Haines (1899) (cropped).jpg
| alt =
| caption = Haines in a 1899 publication
| office = Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
| term_start = 1848
| term_end = 1850
| predecessor = Jesse Miller
| successor = Alexander L. Russel
| state_house2 = Pennsylvania
| district2 = Chester County
| term_start2 = 1827
| term_end2 = 1828
| predecessor2 =
| successor2 =
| alongside2 =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1792|1|7}}
| birth_place = West Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1865|10|5|1792|1|7}}
| death_place = West Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S.
| resting_place =
| party = Whig
| spouse =
| children =
| education =
| alma_mater =
| occupation = {{hlist|Politician|judge|lawyer}}
| signature =
}}
Townsend Haines (January 7, 1792 – October 5, 1865) was an American politician and judge from Pennsylvania. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing Chester County from 1827 to 1828. He served as Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Early life
Townsend Haines was born on January 7, 1792, in West Chester, Pennsylvania, to Ann (née Ryant) and Caleb Haines. His father was a Loyalist during the Revolutionary War and was a refugee in Nova Scotia until he received amnesty. In October 1809, Haines studied at the school of Enoch Lewis in New Garden Township. In 1815, he studied Latin under Mr. Glass in West Chester. He then studied the law under Judge Isaac Darlington and was admitted to the bar on February 7, 1818.{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/chestercountyits00thoms/page/546/mode/2up |title=Chester County and Its People |editor-last=Thomson |editor-first=W. W. |year=1898 |publisher=The Union History Company |pages=547–549 |via=Archive.org |access-date=2023-11-01}}{{Open access}}
Career
Haines first practiced law in the orphans' court.
Haines was elected as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing Chester County in 1826 and was re-elected in 1827. In 1846, he was a candidate for the U.S. Congress as a Whig. Under Governor William F. Johnston, he served as Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In 1851, he was elected president judge of the 15th judicial district, comprising Chester and Delaware counties. He served in that role for ten years.
Personal life
Haines married. His wife died in 1865.
Haines died on October 5, 1865, at his home in West Chester.{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-potter-journal-and-news-item-the-hon/134438931/ |title=The Hon. Townsend Haines... |date=1865-10-10 |newspaper=The Journal |page=2 |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=2023-11-01}}{{Open access}}
References
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External links
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Category:People from West Chester, Pennsylvania
Category:Pennsylvania state court judges
Category:Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Category:Secretaries of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Category:19th-century Pennsylvania state court judges
Category:19th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly