Charles Townshend (1725-1767) was a British politician who held several offices over the course of his career: member of the Board of Trade (1749-1754), treasurer of the chamber (1756-1761), secretary at war (March 1761-December 1762), first lord of trade (February-April 1763), paymaster general (May 1765-July 1766), and chancellor of the Exchequer (1766-1767).