Isaac Robert Randell (February 15, 1871 – January 15, 1942) was a mariner and politician in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. He represented Trinity in the

Newfoundland House of Assembly The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly is the unicameral deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It meets in the Confederation Building in St. Jo ...

from 1923 to 1928. The son of John Randell and Mary Fowlow, he was born in

Port Rexton Port Rexton is a small town in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located on the East Coast of the island of Newfoundland at the north end of Robinhood Bay, about 10 minutes east of Trinity and 3 hours north of St. John ...

and was educated there and at the Navigation School in St. John's. He left school at a young age to work with his father in the Labrador fishery. He earned his mate's certificate in 1892 and his master's certification in 1895. Randell was first given command of a ship in 1895. He later commanded vessels engaged in Arctic exploration for the government of Canada. Randell was commander of the ''Bellaventure'' which rescued 420 members of the crew of the ''

SS Newfoundland SS ''Newfoundland'' was a wooden-hulled brigantine and steamship that was built in 1872 and wrecked in 1916. She was a cargo ship, and for part of her career she was a sealing ship. In 1916 she was renamed ''Samuel Blandford''. ''Newfoundlan ...

'' who had survived what is now known as the 1914 sealing disaster. The men had endured two nights of freezing rain and blowing snow on the

North Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe and ...

ice fields without shelter or food. One of the rescued men died shortly afterwards in St. John's where the survivors had been brought for medical care. The crew of the ''Bellaventure'' also recovered the bodies of 69 men who had not survived the ordeal. Randell joined A.H. Murray and Co. in 1920, was their agent in Brazil for 14 months and later became a director for the firm. In 1903, he married Effie Beatrice Taylor. The couple had two sons and five daughters. Randell was first elected to the Newfoundland assembly in 1923 and was reelected in 1924. He was named to the

Legislative Council of Newfoundland The Legislative Council of Newfoundland was the upper house of the General Assembly of Newfoundland from 1833 to 1934. The Legislative Council was appointed by the Governor of Newfoundland, not elected. Bills were submitted by the House of Assemb ...

in 1931. He died in St. John's in 1942.

Ship's Commanded

* Plymouth * Belle of the Exe *

SS Regulus SS ''Regulus'' was a steamship registered in St. John's, Dominion of Newfoundland. She was lost, with all hands, on October 23, 1910 on the rocks known as Hayes' Reef in Leeward Cove (now known as Lower Cove), south of Motion Head, Petty Har ...

* SS Bellaventure * SS Bonaventure * Sheba * SS Njord * SS Seal * SS Sagona

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Randell, Isaac R 1871 births 1942 deaths People from Port Rexton Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador MHAs Members of the Legislative Council of Newfoundland Sea captains Dominion of Newfoundland politicians Canadian sailors