William Kneeland Townsend

William Kneeland Townsend (June 12, 1849 - June 2, 1907) was a federal judge in the United States.

A native of New Haven, Connecticut, Townsend attended both Yale College and Yale Law School. He worked for several years as a lawyer in private practice in New Haven, including as an attorney for the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. From 1880 to 1882, Townsend was an alderman of the City of New Haven. From 1881 until his death, Townsend taught as a professor at Yale Law School. He was among the over 300 alumni that supported the founding in 1883 of The Third Society, later known as Wolf's Head Society, at Yale College.

In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison appointed Townsend as judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. After Townsend served for ten years as a district judge, President Theodore Roosevelt promoted him in 1902 to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, on which Townsend served until his death in 1907.