| John Townshend, 4th Marquess Townshend | |
| Birth Date: | 28 March 1798 |
| Death Date: | 10 September 1863 |
| Occupation: | British nobleman, politician, naval commander |
| Known For: | Member of Parliament, Rear-Admiral, 4th Marquess Townshend |
| Office: | Member of Parliament for Tamworth |
| Term Start: | 1847 |
| Term End: | 1855 |
| Predecessor: | Sir Robert Peel, Bt, William Yates Peel |
| Successor: | Sir Robert Peel, Bt, Viscount Raynham |
| Office2: | Marquess Townshend |
| Term Start2: | 1855 |
| Term End2: | 1863 |
| Predecessor2: | George Townshend |
| Successor2: | John Townshend |
Rear Admiral John Townshend, 4th Marquess Townshend (28 March 1798 – 10 September 1863), known as John Townshend until 1855, was a British nobleman, peer, politician, and naval commander.
Townshend was the son of Lord John Townshend, younger son of George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend. His mother was Georgiana Anne Poyntz. He served in the Royal Navy and achieved the rank of Rear-Admiral. Between 1847 and 1855 he also sat as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamworth. In the latter year he succeeded his first cousin in the marquessate and entered the House of Lords.
Lord Townshend married Elizabeth Jane Crichton-Stuart, daughter of Lord George Stuart, younger son of John Crichton-Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute, on 18 August 1825. They had five children:
Lord Townshend died in September 1863, aged 65, as result of a fall from his horse in the grounds of his home, Raynham Hall, and was buried at East Raynham, Norfolk.[1] He was succeeded in his titles by his eldest son John. Lady Townshend died in 1877.