Edmund Jennings Randolph | Biography

Edward Jennings Randolph served as U.S. attorney general from 1789 to 1794 under President George Washington. Randolph, who later served as Washington's secretary of state, also played a critical role in drafting a key provision of the U.S. Constitution dealing with the structure of the legislative branch.

Randolph was born on August 10, 1753 in Williamsburg, Virginia. He attended William and Mary College and then studied law with his father. At this time attorneys received their education through an apprenticeship, which meant that Randolph performed clerical duties and legal research while being tutored by his father. Their partnership dissolved, however, in 1775 when the War of Independence began. Randolph's father, a loyalist, moved the rest of the family to England. Though Randolph supported independence, he disliked his short stint of military service and spent most of war managing his estates.

Randolph did apply his legal skills when the state of Virginia held a constitutional convention in 1776. After helping to draft this document, he was appointed the state's attorney general. He continued to hold this office even after he was elected in 1779 to the Continental Congress. His state political career culminated in 1786 when he was elected governor in 1786.

The 1787 U.S. Constitutional Convention was a fractious affair, pitting the largely populated states against the smaller ones. These tensions were most evident in the debates over how the national legislature should be constituted. As a representative of a large state, Randolph proposed a two-house legislature with representation of each state based on its population or wealth. The smaller states presented a plan that was the exact opposite: two houses with equal representation. In the end the Framers compromised, with the Senate based on equal representation and the House of Representatives based on population. Although Randolph did not sign the final draft of the Constitution out of concerns for personal liberties, he did recommend that Virginia ratify it.

With the establishment of the new national government, President George Washington selected the first cabinet. He had known Randolph since the War of Independence and Randolph had eventually become his personal lawyer. Not surprisingly, Washington turned to Randolph to become the attorney general. Randolph accepted the position knowing that it had little authority and was at best a part time position. He, like many of his successors, maintained his private law practice while issuing advisory opinions to the president and the Congress.

Washington named Randolph to succeed Thomas Jefferson as secretary of state in 1794. He took the post at a period when the United States was trying to maintain neutrality as France and England fought a war. Randolph's efforts produced decidedly mixed results. Moreover, he was driven from office by a scandal involving U.S. relations with France. The British minister to the United States accused Randolph of improper behavior in his dealings with France, claiming that Randolph was ready to accept a bribe to change U.S. policy. Randolph resigned in 1795 but it was later proved the charges were false.

Randolph practiced law after leaving government. He died on September 12, 1813 at his estate in Clarke County, Virginia.