Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend

The Right Honourable The Viscount Townshend KG PC FRS
Portrait of Townshend attributed to Charles Jervas, c. 1724, dressed in Garter robes (National Portrait Gallery)[1]
Lord President of the Council
In office 11 June 1720 – 25 June 1721
Monarch	George I
Preceded by	The Duke of Kingston-upon-Hull
Succeeded by	The Lord Carleton
Personal details
Born	(1674-04-18)18 April 1674 Raynham Hall, Norfolk, Kingdom of England
Died	21 June 1738(1738-06-21) (aged 64) Raynham Hall, Norfolk, England, Kingdom of Great Britain
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Pelham Dorothy Walpole
Children	12, including Charles, Thomas, William, Roger, George, and Edward
Parent	Horatio Townshend (father)
Education	Eton College
Alma mater	King's College, Cambridge
Known for	inventing the 4 crop rotation method

Charles Townshend, 2nd Viscount Townshend, KG PC FRS(/ˈtaʊnzənd/; 18 April 1674 – 21 June 1738) was an English Whig statesman. He served for a decade as Secretary of State for the Northern Department from 1714 to 1717 and again from 1721 to 1730. He directed British foreign policy in close collaboration with his brother-in-law, prime minister Robert Walpole. He was often known as Turnip Townshend because of his strong interest in farming turnips and his role in the British Agricultural Revolution.