Genevieve Townsend
1901-1966
Research Assistant in the Department of Economics
Townsend signed the original UW Credit Union charter and served as a Director of the credit union.
Townsend earned a Bachelors of Religious Education degree at Boston University in 1923. Before moving to Madison in 1930 to attend graduate school, she was employed as an industrial secretary for the YWCA in St. Paul, Minnesota. Townsend received a legislative scholarship in Economics at the University of Wisconsin. She was also a Research Assistant in the Department of Economics, funded by a grant from the Consumer Credit Institute of America, Inc., and supervised by Professor John R. Commons. During the summer of 1930, she served as a hostess at the student home for women enrolled in the summer School for Industrial Workers. In 1930, faculty and researchers organized Local 223 of the American Federation of Teachers at the University of Wisconsin and Townsend served as the secretary-treasurer.
Between 1930 and 1932, Townsend conducted a study of small money loans in Wisconsin. She investigated banks, employer's plans, pawnbrokers, building and loan associations, insurance policy loans, credit unions, discount companies and personal finance companies. The purpose of her study was to "analyze the consumer credit field impartially to aid in the solution of legislative controversies that arise periodically over the Uniform small Loan Law." Soon after, she left the University and became personal supervisor for the Public Welfare Departments. She then joined the Madison office of the Business Men's Assurance Company as a sales representative in 1936. She was active in the industry and taught vocational evening classes for insurance professionals. She excelled in business and in 1939 secured an innovative group insurance contract with the University Faculty Association covering 225 UW faculty members. During her years in Madison, she was active in the League of Women Voters, the YWCA and the Madison Consumer's Cooperative.
For health reasons, she and her family left Madison in 1945 for Oracle, Arizona, where they operated a 40-acre guest ranch called "Sunset Point." The advice she gave others, she also lived herself, representing the values of "Social vision, good citizenship, education and participation in civic activities."