John Randolph (politician)
Sir John Randolph 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 was born in Charles City County, Virginia. He was the youngest son of William Randolph and Mary Randolph. He was a grand-uncle of U.S. President Thomas Jefferson.Randolph later reflected, "I should have been an atheist if it had not been for one recollection—and that was the memory of the time when my departed mother used to take my little hand in hers and cause me on my knees to say, 'Our Father who art in heaven.'"
He attended the College of William & Mary and completed his studies in 1711.
Career
In 1712, the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, Alexander Spotswood, appointed Randolph as Deputy Attorney General for Charles City County, Prince George County, and Henrico County. On May 17, 1715, Randolph was admitted to Gray's Inn at the Inns of Court, then called to the bar on November 25, 1717.Randolph was the only native of Colonial Virginia to receive a knighthood.
Personal life
Randolph married Susanna Beverley around 1718. Together, the couple lived at Tazewell Hall, and had at least four children who reached adulthood:- Beverley Randolph, who married Agatha Wormeley in 1742.
- Mary Randolph, who married Col. Philip Ludwell Grymes, a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, in 1742.
- Peyton Randolph, the first and third president of the Continental Congress, who married Elizabeth Harrison.
- John Randolph, who married Ariana Jennings in 1750.