Justine Van Rensselaer was born into a prominent family in Albany, New York in 1828, and married a local physician, Howard Townsend, in 1853. The restoration of Mount Vernon after the Civil War captured Mrs. Townsend’s attention and she began to raise money for the cause in 1876. She served as Vice Regent from New York from 1876. Mrs. Townsend was elected Regent in 1891 and continued in this role until her resignation from the board in 1909. She remained involved at Mount Vernon as Honorary Regent from 1909 until her death in 1912. While on the board, Mrs. Townsend raised funds for preservation, and was instrumental in the restoration of the mansion’s New Room after the ceiling collapsed. As Regent, Mrs. Townsend was involved in upgrading fire protection and stabilizing the riverfront at the estate, as well as investing the Association’s financial resources.