Randolph, Peyton (1721?-1775), was an American lawyer who served as president of both the First and the Second Continental Congresses in 1774 and 1775. Those two meetings of colonial leaders at first sought fair treatment from Britain for the American Colonies but eventually declared independence. Randolph himself held moderate political views. He persuaded extreme patriots and those with more cautious views to work together.
Randolph was born in Williamsburg into one of Virginia’s most respected families. He graduated from the College of William and Mary and then studied law at the Inns of Court in London. In 1748, Randolph became attorney general of Virginia. That year, he won election to the House of Burgesses, Virginia’s legislature. In 1766, he became speaker of the House.
The British governor of Virginia dissolved the House of Burgesses in 1774. Its members then met in a series of revolutionary conventions. Randolph was elected to preside over the conventions in 1774 and 1775. He headed Virginia’s delegates to the First and Second Continental Congresses. He was elected as the first president of both meetings. He died on Oct. 22, 1775, five months after the Second Continental Congress began.
