James Townsend (British politician)

James Townsend in 1772, from Gentleman's Magazine

James Townsend (baptised 8 February 1737 – 1 July 1787) was an English Whig politician and Lord Mayor of London in 1772–73.[1] He is believed to be England's first member of parliament of partial Black African ancestry.[2]

  1. ^ "Townsend, James (1737-87), of Bruce Castle, Tottenham, Mdx". historyofparliamentonline.org. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  2. ^ Latsch, Wolfram (December 2016). "A Black Lord Mayor of London in the Eighteenth Century?". Notes and Queries: gjw194. doi:10.1093/notesj/gjw194.