Peyton Randolph
Peyton Randolph | |
|---|---|
| 1st & 3rd President of the Continental Congress | |
| In office May 10, 1775 – May 24, 1775 | |
| Preceded by | Henry Middleton |
| Succeeded by | John Hancock |
| In office September 5, 1774 – October 22, 1774 | |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Henry Middleton |
| 33rd Speaker of the Virginia House of Burgesses | |
| In office 1766–1775 | |
| Preceded by | John Robinson |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 10, 1721 Williamsburg, Virginia, British America |
| Died | October 22, 1775 (aged 54) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, British America |
| Resting place | Wren Chapel, College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Harrison |
| Relations | Thomas Jefferson (cousin) |
| Parent |
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| Education | College of William & Mary |
| Signature | |
Peyton Randolph (September 10, 1721 – October 22, 1775) was an American politician and planter who was a Founding Father of the United States. Born into Virginia's wealthiest and most powerful family, Randolph served as speaker of Virginia's House of Burgesses, president of the first two Virginia Conventions, and president of the First Continental Congress. He also served briefly as the first president of the Second Continental Congress.
In 1774, Randolph signed the Continental Association, a trade boycott adopted by the First Continental Congress in response to the British Parliament's Intolerable Acts. Randolph was a first cousin once removed of Thomas Jefferson and was also related to John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States, and Robert E. Lee, commander of the Confederate States Army in the American Civil War.