Edmund and Peyton Randolph
Edmund Randolph
" Edmund Randolph was a native of Virginia and an eminent member of the Bar. He aided largely in giving an impetus to the revolutionary ball. He was among the boldest patriots who resolved early to cut the maternal cords that bound the American Colonies to Mother Britain. He was a member of Congress in 1779 and subsequently Governor of Virginia, the Attorney-General of the United States, and for a time Secretary under Washington, whose confidence he lost in 1795 for reasons not on the record. He lived in the esteem of his friends until 1813, when he quietly retired to the spirit world."
Source: The Sages and Heroes of the American Revolution by L. Carroll Judson
Peyton Randolph
" Peyton Randolph was a native of Virginia and early engaged in the border wars. He was a good lawyer and Attorney-General under the crown as early as 1748. He became a prominent legislator and was among the first and boldest to expose and oppose British oppression. He was prudent but firm. He threw his whole soul into the cause of Liberty. In all the preliminary meetings of the Old Dominion, he was a leading member and a perfect regulator among those whose zeal sometimes fed them beyond the orbit of sound discretion. He was President of the important Congress of 1774 and added to the dignity of the proceedings of that august assemblage of Sages. He was returned to Congress the next year but was detained as a speaker in his state's legislature until late in the session. On the 21st of October 1775, he attended a dinner party at the house of a friend and, while there, fell from his seat in a fit of apoplexy and expired in a few moments. His body was taken to Virginia and interred. Thus, it prematurely extinguished one of the bright luminaries illuminating the Revolution's horizon and dawn. His loss was deeply deplored."
Source: The Sages and Heroes of the American Revolution by L. Carroll Judson