Peyton Randolph

Randolph was active in the Virginia House of Burgesses, even traveling to London as a special agent to argue against the pistole fee which Lieutenant Governor Robert Dinwiddle required for every land permit. He presided over the House of Burgesses after 1766, served as Speaker of the House, moderated sessions, and, from 1774, was president of the Virginia Convention. In 1773, Randolph became chairman of the Committee of Correspondence; the next year, he became the first president of the Continental Congress. His political voice was moderate, and, through his active public life, he helped smooth the transition from colonial to revolutionary government, lending credibility to the organizations in which he participated.