John Townshend, 2nd Viscount Sydney

John Thomas Townshend, 2nd Viscount Sydney of St Leonards, was born on 21 February 1764 and died on 20 January 1831. He was a British peer and a Member of Parliament.

**Early Life**

He was the eldest of twelve children of Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney of St Leonards, and Elizabeth Powys. His mother served as a Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Charlotte. His siblings included Hon. Horatio George Powys Townshend and Hon. William Augustus Townshend, both of whom served as Members of Parliament. Other siblings were Hon. Mary Elizabeth Townshend, who married John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham; Hon. Frances Townshend, who married George Rice, 3rd Baron Dynevor; and Hon. Harriet Katherine Townshend, who married Charles Montagu-Scott, 4th Duke of Buccleuch.

His paternal grandparents were Hon. Thomas Townshend MP, a son of Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend, and Hon. Elizabeth Pelham. His maternal grandparents were Richard Powys MP of Hintlesham Hall and Lady Mary Brudenell, daughter of George Brudenell, 3rd Earl of Cardigan.

From 1775 to 1781, Townshend was educated at Eton College, followed by studies at Clare College, Cambridge. In 1785, he undertook the Grand Tour.

**Political and Professional Career**

In 1786, he was elected to the Parliament of the United Kingdom as the Hon. John Townshend for Newport, Isle of Wight, serving until 1790. Subsequently, he represented Whitchurch from 1790 to 1800. During this period, he was recognized for opposing the repeal of the Test Act in Scotland in 1791. He supported the government of William Pitt the Younger, voting for assessed taxes in 1798 and serving as a ministerial teller in June of that year. According to records, he did not actively participate in debates in the House of Commons.

His governmental roles included serving as Under-Secretary of State for Home Affairs from 1784 to 1789, a Lord of the Admiralty from 1789 to 1793, and a Lord of the Treasury from 1793 to 1800. Upon his father’s death in 1800, Townshend inherited his peerage, becoming a member of the House of Lords. He was appointed a Lord of the Bedchamber to King George III from 1800 to 1810 and served as Ranger of Hyde Park and St James's Park from 1807 until his death.

**Personal Life**

Townshend was married twice, with both wives dying in childbirth. His first marriage was on 13 April 1790 to the Hon. Sophia Southwell, daughter of Edward Southwell, 20th Baron de Clifford. They had two children before her death on 9 November 1795:

- Hon. Sophia Mary Townshend (d. 1852), who married John Russell, a son of Lord William Russell, and was mother to Edward Russell, 23rd Baron de Clifford.

- Mary Elizabeth Sydney (1794–1847), who married George James Cholmondeley, son of Mary Woffington, and later Charles Marsham, 2nd Earl of Romney.

His second marriage took place on 27 May 1802 to Lady Caroline Elizabeth Letitia Clements, daughter of Robert Clements, 1st Earl of Leitrim. They had one child, John Robert Townshend (1805–1890), who became the 1st Earl Sydney. Lady Caroline died on 9 August 1805.

Townshend died on 20 January 1831. His death was described as a release from "hopeless suffering." His son inherited his titles and estate; in 1874, he was created Earl Sydney, of Scadbury. The titles became extinct upon the death of the 1st Earl Sydney in 1890, as he had no children.

**References**

(References are not provided here but would typically include sources cited in the original document.)

**External Links**

- National Portrait Gallery, London: John Thomas Townshend, 2nd Viscount Sydney (1764–1831), Ranger of Hyde Park and St James's Park