Throughout the course of his career he published around 100 academic papers and edited many more, he was recognized for his excellent editorial skills.

[1] After the equivalent of a high school education in 1885, he gained a job as a clerk in the local town bank.

[2] In his second year as a graduate student he was offered a Hearst fellowship at the Lick Observatory, which he accepted, arriving in 1892.

[1][2] After graduation that same year he visited his brother living in California, which made him interested in Lick Observatory.

[2][4] In 1896, he spent a year on-leave to travel through Germany, visiting major observatories in Berlin, Leipzig, and Munich.

[2] After his return from his travels he began teaching at the University of California, Berkeley, under Armin Otto Leuschner.

Townley was a member of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific during its early years[1] and served as its president in 1916, and also spent time as director and on the publication committee.

[3] Birge Clark's father was architect and Stanford University design professor Arthur Bridgman Clark who designed the Townley's residence at 613 Salvatierra (now 661 Cabrillo Avenue; built 1921) in Stanford, California.