Convention Member John Randolph

Convention Member
No Party Specified
Born November 13, 1804, in Richmond, Virginia, and belonged to one of the oldest and most distinguished families of the Old Dominion, being a descendant of Peyton Randolph. His parents were also natives of Richmond, Virginia, but in boyhood he was left an orphan. He attended school to some extent in the state of his nativity and afterward greatly broadened his knowledge through travel and experience in business life. The opportunities and possibilities of the great and growing west seemed to invite him and in 1836 he joined the firm of Chase Kimball & Company, which continued in the dry goods trade in Burlington for a number of years. Later Mr. Randolph came to Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and established the second store in Henry County. On the 1st of December, 1837, he married Miss Lucinda Caulk. In 1844, Mr. Randolph was a delegate to the Iowa Constitutional Convention in Iowa City representing Henry County. At the time of the discovery of gold in California he was attracted to the west by the hope of rapidly realizing a fortune on the Pacific coast, and in 1849 made his way to the golden state, where he remained for a year, interested in mining. Following his return from California, Mr. Randolph became an active factor in the upbuilding and improvement of Mount Pleasant and Henry County. He embarked in the hardware business, which he conducted successfully for a number of years. He then retired permanently from business life, thus crowning years of intense and well directed activity by a period of ease. He was known everywhere as the soul of honor whether in business relations, in public life or in social circles. At the time of the Civil war John M. Randolph served as a soldier of the Union army for three months. He was called by the complimentary title of Colonel Randolph and he enjoyed to the full extent the good will and respect of all with whom he was associated, while those who came within the closer circle of his friends entertained for him a deep affection. Mr. Randolph died June 11, 1873.