James Townsend (December 17, 1729 – May 24, 1790 in Jericho, then in Queens, now in Nassau County, New York) was an American politician from New York.
On April 2, 1757, he married Mary Hicks (1730–1796); they had seven children.
Townsend was a deputy to the 3rd and 4th New York Provincial Congresses in 1776.
He was a member of the New York State Assembly in 1784, 1784-85, 1786, and 1787.
He was elected as a Federalist to the 2nd United States Congress in April 1790, but died a month later, before his term began.