Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 09.djvu/36

 RANDOLPH

RANDOLPH

1858-59. In 1861 as a member of the first city- troop of Pluladeliihia. he went to the front for three months, and in 1863, upon Lee's invasion of Pennsjlvania, he again served as captain of a company, being promoted provost-marslial dur- ing the battle of Gettysburg. He was the Demo- cratic representative from the third district of Pennsylvania in tiie 38th-51st congresses, 1863-90, and during the 43d congress, wlien the force bill was introduced, he led the opposition and suc- ceeded in preventing its passage. He succeeded Miciiael C. Kerr as sj)eaker of the house in 1875, and wjis re-elected by the 45tli and 46th congresses, 1877-81. He was married to a daughter of Gen. Aaron Ward of Sing Sing, N.Y. He died in Washington. D.C.. April 12. 1890.

RANDOLPH, Alfred Magill, first bishop of Southern Virginia and 132d in succession in the American episcopate, was born at "The Mead- ows," the estate of John Magill near Winchester, Va., Aug. 31. 18-36 ; son of Robert Lee and Mary Buckner Thruston (Magill) Randolph ; grandson of Col. Robert and Eliza (Carter) Randolph and of Col. Charles and Mary (Thruston) Magill, and a descendant of William Randolph of Turkey Island. Va.. who came from Warwickshire, Eng- land, arriving in Jamestown, Va., in 1674. He was graduated from William and Mary college, A.B., 18."35, A.M., 1858, andfrom the Virginia The- ological seminary in 1858 ; was admitted to the diaconate in 1858 and advanced to the priesthood in 1860. He was married. April 27, 1859, to Sallie Griffith, daughter of Dr. William and Eliza (Grif- fith) Hoxton of Alexandria, Va., and great-grand- daughter of the Rev. Dr. David Griffith (q.v.). He was the rector of St. George's, Fredericksburg, Va., 1862-63 ; chaplain in the Confederate army, 1862-65 ; rector of Christ church, Alexandria, Va., 1866-67 ; of Emanuel church, Baltimore, Md., 1867-83, and was elected bishop coadjutor of Virginia in 1S83. He was consecrated, Oct. 21, 1883, by Bishops Williams, Howe, Dudley, Perry, Alexander Burgess and Peterkin. Upon the divi- sion of the diocese of Virginia in 1892 he became the first bishop of the diocese of Southern Virginia and made Norfolk the see city. He received the degree of D.D. from William and Mary college in 1876 ; that of LL.D. from Washington and Lee university in 1887 and that of D.C.L. from the University of the South in 1902.

RANDOLPH, Beverly, governor of Virginia, was born in Chatsworth, Henrico county, Va., in 1754 ; son of Col. Peter and Lucy (Boiling) Ran- dolph. His father was surveyor of customs of North America in 1749 and a member of the Vir- ginia house of burgesses for many years. He was graduated from the College of William and Mary in 1771, and during the Revolution served as a member of the general assembly of Virginia and

upheld the patriot cause. He was president of the executive council of Virginia, 1787-88, and succeeded Edmund Randolph as governor of the state, serving, 1788-81. He was appointed a visi- tor of the College of William antl Mary in 1784. He died at Green Creek. Cumberland, Va., in 1797. RANDOLPH, Edmund (Jennings), cabinet officer, was born in Williamslnng. Va.. Aug. 10, 1753 ; son of John Randolph (1727-1784) king's attorney, 1766-75. He was graduated at the Col- lege of William and Mary, and studied law with his father. He remained in Virginia when his father fled to England in 1775, and Washington made him a member of his own family, and his aide-de-camp, Aug. 15, 1775. On the sudden death of his uncle Peyton he returned to Wil- liamsburg to care for the estate, and was married to a daughter of R. C. Nicholas. He was a member of the committee of 1776, where he assisted in passing the bill of rights, and in fram- ing the constitution for Virginia. He was elected attorney-general of the state, under the new constitution, and was also mayor of Williams- burg. He was a delegate to the Continental congress, 1779-82, where he had a place in the committee on foreign affairs. He resigned his seat in 1782, and devoted himself to the care of his estate inherited from his uncle, Peyton Randolph, which was subject to the debts of his father who died in England in 1783, which debts he paid out of his practice of the law. He was - appointed a commissioner from Virginia to the Annopolis convention, and as a member of that body urged the calling by congress of a constitu- tional convention. He was governor of Virginia, 1786-88, and leader of the Virginia delegation to the constitutional convention of 1787, when he introduced the general plan of the instrument as had been agreed upon, and prepared another plan which he did not introduce, but which was found among the papers of George Mason in 1887, and brought to light by M. D. Conway. He op- posed a single executive, preferring an executive commission ; opposed re-elegibility of the Pres- ident, and his holding pardoning power, the vice-presidential office, and states having two senators irrespective of their population ; and favored the giving of powers to the Federal gov- ernment sufficient to prevent any state from carrying out a law declared by the supreme court to be unconstitutional. It was this motion that eliminated the word "slavery" from the constitution. He refused to sign the instrument as prepared, unless a second national convention should act on it after it had been discussed by the people. In the Virginia convention of 1788, however, he advocated its ratification as necessary to union, claiming that by so doing Virginia could secure needed amendments. The clatise of