Samuel George Fitzhugh Townsend (April 1872 – December 11, 1906) was an American fencer who competed in the

1904 Summer Olympics The 1904 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the III Olympiad and also known as St. Louis 1904) were an international multi-sport event held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from 1 July to 23 November 1904. Many events were conducted ...

. He competed under the name Fitzhugh Townsend. It was known that Fitzhugh was his middle name and was thought for a long time that his first name was Charles. However his graduation program from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, his death announcement in the Columbia alumni newsletter, and his tombstone in the Trinity Cemetery in New York City all give his full name as Samuel George Fitzhugh Townsend. Townsend was a graduate of Columbia University in New York City with a degree in Physics. He fenced for the Columbia Lions fencing team. After graduation, he became a professor at Columbia University teaching

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

. In 1904 he won the silver medal in team foil competition. He also competed in the individual foil event but was eliminated in the first round. In the individual épée event he finished fifth. He died of typhus in 1906 and is buried in the Townsend family plot in Trinity Cemetery in New York City.Death List of a Day, New York Times, December 12, 1906.

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* * 1872 births 1906 deaths American male épée fencers Columbia College (New York) alumni Fencers at the 1904 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for the United States in fencing Medalists at the 1904 Summer Olympics American male foil fencers 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-fencing-bio-stub