Governor Edmund J. Randolph Autographs, Memorabilia & Collectibles

In 1775, with the outbreak of the American Revolution, Randolph's Loyalist family had returned to England but he remained, becoming a soldier and Aide-de-Camp to General Washington. Randolph later served as Attorney General of Virginia (1776) and was a member of the Continental Congress (1779, 1781 and 1782). He resigned as Governor in 1788 to serve in the state's House of Delegates, where he participated in the codification of the laws of Virginia (1788 and 1789).After serving as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, Randolph was appointed the first Attorney General of the United States, serving under President George Washington from September 26, 1789 until January 2, 1794, when he was named Secretary of State. He was forced to resign on August 19, 1795, following charges of bribery brought against him by Minister Fauchet of France.Although the charges were proven false, he retired from public life, becoming a leading member of Virginia's bar. He argued his most notable case in 1807 - as the principal defense attorney in the treason trial of Aaron Burr.