Edward Jennings Randolph served as U.S. attorney general from 1789 to 1794 under President George Washington. Randolph, who later served as Washington's secretary of state, also played a critical role in drafting a key provision of the U.S. Constitution dealing with the structure of the legislative branch.

Randolph was born on August 10, 1753 in Williamsburg, Virginia. He attended William and Mary College and then studied law with his father. At this time attorneys received their education through an apprenticeship, which meant that Randolph performed clerical duties and legal research while being tutored by his father. Their partnership dissolved, however, in 1775 when the War of Independence began. Randolph's father, a loyalist, moved the rest of the family to England. Though Randolph supported independence, he disliked his short stint of military service and spent most of war managing his estates.

Randolph did apply his legal skills when the state of Virginia...