John Townsend (1783-1854) along with his brother Isaiah, was a merchant in Albany primarily involved in the iron trade who became the city's mayor in 1829. In 1819 he was the secretary of a public committee regarding the extension of slavery in the United States and nominated MVB to also be a member. While it is unclear what Townsend's opinion on slavery was in 1819, 1810 and 1820 census records indicate he did not own any enslaved people.