Oliver Randolph (October 31, 1877 – October 2, 1951) was an American lawyer and politician. A member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

, he was the first African American to be admitted to the New Jersey bar, the second African American elected to the New Jersey Legislature, and the only African American to serve as a delegate to the New Jersey Constitutional Convention of 1947.

Early life and career

Randolph was born in

Pass Christian Pass Christian (), nicknamed The Pass, is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in and one of two county seats of Harrison County, Mississippi, United States (the ot ...

, Harrison County, Mississippi in 1882 to John W. and Mary E.J. Randolph. He was the grandson of a

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

slave. His father, John W. Randolph, served in the Mississippi Legislature in the

Reconstruction Era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...

. His brother, Joseph B. Randolph, became president of Claflin University in

Orangeburg, South Carolina Orangeburg, also known as ''The Garden City'', is the principal city in and the county seat of Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population of the city was 13,964 according to the 2010 United States Census and declined to 12 ...

. He graduated from

Wiley College Wiley College is a private historically black college in Marshall, Texas. Founded in 1873 by the Methodist Episcopal Church's Bishop Isaac Wiley and certified in 1882 by the Freedman's Aid Society, it is one of the oldest predominantly black col ...

Marshall, Texas Marshall is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Harrison County, Texas, Harrison County and a cultural and educational center of the Ark-La-Tex region. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population of M ...

and received a law degree from Howard University in Washington, D.C. Randolph moved to

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Essex County, New Jersey Essex County is located in the northeastern part of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 863,728, making it the state's second-most populous county, behind Bergen and Middlesex Counties.

and was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in November 1922. He became the second African American to serve in the state legislature, after Walter G. Alexander's election to the Assembly in 1920. In the Assembly, Randolph authored the state's anti-

lynching Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged transgressor, punish a convicted transgressor, or intimidate people. It can also be an ex ...

law and introduced legislation opposing the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...

. In 1923, he was appointed Special Assistant United States District Attorney for New Jersey on the recommendation of U.S. Senator

Walter E. Edge Walter Evans Edge (November 20, 1873October 29, 1956) was an American diplomat and Republican politician who served as the 36th governor of New Jersey, from 1917 to 1919 and again from 1944 to 1947, during both World War I and World War II. Edge ...

. He was the first African American to hold this position, serving for ten years. He was appointed a Deputy

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

in 1946. In 1947, he was the sole African American among the 81 delegates to the New Jersey Constitutional Convention. Representing Essex County, he served on the convention's Committee on Rights, Privileges, Amendments, and Miscellaneous Provisions. He successfully advocated for what became Article 1, Paragraph 5 of the Constitution of New Jersey, which states: "No person shall be denied the enjoyment of any civil or military right, nor be discriminated against in the exercise of any civil or military right, nor be segregated in the militia or in the public schools, because of religious principles, race, color, ancestry or national origin." Randolph died at Newark's Presbyterian Hospital in 1951. The Garden State Bar Association, an affiliate chapter of the National Bar Association, annually presents the Oliver Randolph Award to celebrate Randolph's legacy as a civil rights pioneer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Randolph, Oliver 1877 births 1951 deaths Wiley College alumni Howard University alumni New Jersey lawyers Republican Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly African-American state legislators in New Jersey People from Pass Christian, Mississippi Politicians from Newark, New Jersey Activists for African-American civil rights 20th-century American politicians Lawyers from Newark, New Jersey 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century African-American politicians African-American men in politics

Early life and career

See also

References