• was born on 7 July 1826 as son of a grocer and tea merchant in Greenwich;
• showed mathematical ability and was appointed as a supernumerary computer at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich;
• was appointed as a junior assistant to Professor Challis at Cambridge;
• was appointed as Superintendent of Telegraphs for South Australia and arrived with his wife Alice (nee Bell and after whom Alice Springs was named) aboard the Irene on 4 November 1855;
• was appointed to the dual position of Postmaster-General and Superintendent of Telegraphs in 1870 following the decision to amalgamate the two Departments;
• was the architect and main activist advocating the construction of the Overland Telegraph line from Adelaide to Darwin;
• was the visionary who planned and help implement many of the Australian telegraph projects including the Adelaide-Melbourne line (with Samuel McGowan), the cable to Tasmania, the telegraph line to Western Australia, etc, etc.
• A report on the Banquet to farewell Todd before his return trip to Emngland in 1881 is included elsewhere.
• retired in 1905 from the Post and Telegraphs Department and in 1906 from the Observatory.
• died of gangrene at his country home of Semaphore S.A. on 29 January 1910.

The Advertiser on 26 November 1906 printed a wonderful review of Todd's life with many statements expressing his own view of his memorable and proudest moments ("the day of his marriage").

See also a letter of Transfer to Mr. Madden at Salisbury Railway.