John Randolph (1727 – January 31, 1784) was an American lawyer and politician from

Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...

in the British

colony of Virginia The Colony of Virginia was a British Empire, British colonial settlement in North America from 1606 to 1776. The first effort to create an English settlement in the area was chartered in 1584 and established in 1585; the resulting Roanoke Colo ...

. He served as king's attorney for Virginia from 1766 until he left for Britain at the outset of the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

Early life

Randolph was born in Williamsburg into one of the most prominent families of Virginia. His father was

Sir John Randolph Sir John Randolph (1693 – March 7, 1737) was an American politician. He was a Speaker of the House of Burgesses, an Attorney General for the Colony of Virginia, and the youngest son of William Randolph and Mary Isham. Early life Randolph ...

, the only colonial Virginian to be knighted. The younger Randolph was a close friend of

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

, his cousin, with whom he often played violin.

Revolution

During the revolutionary crisis, Randolph remained a

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

, unlike his brother

Peyton Randolph Peyton Randolph (September 10, 1721 – October 22, 1775) was an American politician and planter who was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father of the United States. Born into Virginia's Randolph family of Virginia, wealthies ...

, and his son,

Edmund Randolph Edmund Jennings Randolph (August 10, 1753 September 12, 1813) was a Founding Father of the United States, attorney, and the seventh Governor of Virginia. As a delegate from Virginia, he attended the Constitutional Convention and helped to cre ...

. In 1774, he wrote "Considerations on the Present State of Virginia", in which he called for reconciliation between his fellow colonists and Great Britain. He boycotted the Virginia Convention, an extralegal convening of the

House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses () was the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly from 1619 to 1776. It existed during the colonial history of the United States in the Colony of Virginia in what was then British America. From 1642 to 1776, the Hou ...

headed by his brother Peyton. When hostilities began, Randolph fled to Scotland with

Governor Dunmore John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore (1730 – 25 February 1809) was a British colonial administrator who served as the governor of Virginia from 1771 to 1775. Dunmore was named governor of New York in 1770. He succeeded to the same position in th ...

. In Scotland, Randolph continued to promote reconciliation between Great Britain and the colonies.

Personal life

On July 26, 1750, he married Ariana Jennings (–1808) in

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

. Together, they had three children. *

Edmund Jennings Randolph Edmund Jennings Randolph (August 10, 1753 September 12, 1813) was a Founding Father of the United States, attorney, and the seventh Governor of Virginia. As a delegate from Virginia, he attended the Constitutional Convention and helped to cre ...

(1753–1813), who married Elizabeth Nicholas (1753–1810), daughter of

Robert Carter Nicholas Sr. Robert Carter Nicholas (January 28, 1728-November 1780) was a Virginia lawyer, patriot, legislator and judge. He served in the Virginia House of Burgesses and its successor, the Virginia House of Delegates. He became the last treasurer of the C ...

* Susanna Beverly Randolph (1755–1791), who married John Randolph Grymes (1745–1805). * Ariana Jennings Randolph (1760–1794), who married James Wormeley (1746–1830). When Randolph died in

Brompton, London Brompton, sometimes called Old Brompton, survives in name as a Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, ward in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. Until the latter half of the 19th century it was a scattered vill ...

, in 1784, his last request was to be buried in Virginia. His remains were returned and he is interred in the chapel at

The College of William and Mary ''The'' is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the ...

in Williamsburg. His son Edmund became Governor of Virginia, the first Attorney General of the United States, and the second US Secretary of State.

Descendants

His grandson,

John Randolph Grymes John Randolph Grymes (December 14, 1786 – December 3, 1854) was a New Orleans attorney, member of the Louisiana state legislature, U.S. attorney for Louisiana district, and '' aide-de-camp'' to General Andrew Jackson during the Battle of N ...

(1786–1854), was a

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

attorney, member of the

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

state legislature, U. S. attorney for Louisiana district, and '' aide-de-camp'' to General

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

during the

Battle of New Orleans The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815, between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the Frenc ...

. His great-granddaughters through his grandson, Ralph Randolph Wormeley (1785–1852), included

Elizabeth Wormeley Latimer Mary Elizabeth Latimer ( Wormeley; July 26, 1822 – January 4, 1904) was an English-American writer, both of original works and translations. Early life Mary Elizabeth Wormeley was born on July 26, 1822, in London, the daughter of Admiral Ralph ...

(1822–1904), and Ariana Randolph Wormeley (1833–1922), was married to

Daniel Sargent Curtis Daniel Sargent Curtis (1825–1908) was an American lawyer and banker. He was a trustee of the Boston Public Library, director of the Boston National Bank and owner of Palazzi Barbaro, Venice. Early life Curtis was born in Boston, Massachusetts ...

(1825–1908), a lawyer and banker and Trustee of the Boston Public Library, director of the Boston National Bank and owner of

Palazzo Barbaro The Palazzi Barbaro—also known as Palazzo Barbaro, Ca' Barbaro, and Palazzo Barbaro-Curtis—are a pair of adjoining palaces, in the San Marco district of Venice, northern Italy. They were formerly one of the homes of the patrician Barbaro fami ...

.Wadlin, Horace G. The Public Library of the City of Boston: A History. Boston: Trustees of the Boston Public Library, 1911.

Ancestry

References

*Crompton, Samuel Willard. "Randolph, John". ''

American National Biography Online The ''American National Biography'' (ANB) is a 24-volume biographical encyclopedia set that contains about 17,400 entries and 20 million words, first published in 1999 by Oxford University Press under the auspices of the American Council of Lea ...

'', February 2000.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Randolph, John 1727 births 1784 deaths Loyalists in the American Revolution from Virginia American people of English descent Burials at the College of William & Mary Mayors of Williamsburg, Virginia

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

Virginia lawyers