Jennings Randolph: servant, statesman, Seventh Day Baptist: many advantages come along with being part of the Baptist family, especially as those advantages are expressed through the relationships we have with our Baptist brothers and sisters. Inside the Baptist family, we have our own clans, and kinship inside those clans is meaningful.

Seventh Day Baptists are a particularly clannish people, demonstrating long historical lines tied closely to family names that extend back to the days of our inception. That clannishness comes with its share of advantages and disadvantages. I discovered one particular advantage of being a Seventh Day Baptist as I undertook this article to capsulate the life and contributions of Jennings Randolph, a United States representative and senator from West Virginia for over fifty years and a prominent Seventh Day Baptist. (1) That advantage was expressed through the personal connectedness many Seventh Day Baptists feel towards the longtime senator whom they refer to simply as "Jennings."

I am a younger man, and I was not a regular participant in the activities of our General Conference until 1998, the year of Jennings's death, so I do not have any personal memories of the senator. Many times in my discussions with more senior Seventh Day Baptists, I felt as if I was the only one who did not have such personal memories, but I gained an appreciation for the contributions he made not only to this country but also to the people and churches of the Seventh Day Baptist General Conference.

The week after I began work on this article, my grandparents were sorting through some items in their basement and asked me to come help. In the midst of some of my great-grandfather's papers was an autographed photo of Randolph, with a dedication to my great-grandfather. Such is life among Seventh Day Baptists.

When I first undertook this article, I wanted to try to frame my own understanding of the importance of Randolph's contributions. As a relative late-comer to the writing of history, I feared for overestimating his importance; and so I did what any self-respecting modern twenty-six-year-old would do--I went to Google. In a search for contemporaries with whom I might compare Randolph, I first entered the name of Ronald Reagan, simply because of the similarity of their life spans (not their political convictions). My search yielded more than 31 million results. To balance that number against another standard, I entered a name of less significance (my own) and conducted the same type of search, which yielded twenty-seven results. Not shockingly, the results for the query, "Jennings Randolph," yielded a number neatly between those two numbers, about 98,800. Admittedly, my Google search was not a scientific way of determining the contributions of the people whom the searches represented. The reliability of data from the Internet and the explanation of what the results of my search mean are open to interpretation. However, based on the data and the positions which Randolph held, he certainly is worthy of another, more detailed look.

The Early Years

Jennings Randolph was born March 8, 1902, to Ernest and Idell (Bingman) Randolph, in Salem, West Virginia. His family seems to have predisposed him to politics, as one of his forbearers, Edmond Randolph, was the first attorney general of the United States and served under George Washington; and Randolph's father, Ernest, ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the House of Representatives in 1916. (2) In 1914, Jennings Randolph gave a testimony of faith and was baptized by A. J. C. Bond, a foremost Seventh Day Baptist leader.

Life in Salem during that time implied education at the Seventh Day Baptist schools in town. Salem was founded by Seventh Day Baptists moving to the frontier in the dosing part of the eighteenth century. (3) One of the first things Seventh Day Baptists often did as their settlements developed was to set up institutions of learning. (4) Randolph received his secondary and undergraduate education at Salem Academy and Salem College, two of the schools founded by Seventh Day Baptists. He graduated from Salem Academy in 1918 and from Salem College in 1924. (5) Randolph's experience at Salem College was punctuated by his own involvement on campus, both in athletics and in the affairs of the college. One night in 1922, Randolph and several other students were called into the office of the dean, S.O. Bond, who informed them of some of the financial difficulties of the school. Randolph, Dean Bond, and the other students committed the night to prayer, and in the opinion of Bond, "in the sight of God, the life of a college was saved that night." (6) Randolph's contributions to the life of the institution were not ignored, and in 1923, while he was still a student, he was made a trustee of the college, a position he held for more than sixty years. (7)

In 1922, prior to his graduation from Salem College, Randolph began a career as a journalist, writing a weekly column about happenings in Salem for the Telegram newspaper in Clarksburg, West Virginia. After graduation, he was promoted and served as the sports editor. In 1925, he moved on to work for The West Virginia Review, a monthly periodical that endeavored to promote and inform people about all "the good things to be found in West Virginia." (8) After a brief time, Randolph entered a new stage in his career, which he later called "a great experience." (9) He began service as an administrator at Davis and Elkins College, where he served as athletic director and publicity director. He also worked on the faculty as a part-time teacher of public speaking and journalism and served as the advisor of the student newspaper. (10) Randolph's time at Davis and Elkins was extremely successful; his presence increased the visibility of the school. (11)

Congressman Randolph

In 1930, four years after his move to Elkins, Randolph ran as a Democrat for a seat in the House of Representatives, hoping to serve as a congressman from the Second District in West Virginia. His opponent in that election was Republican Frank Bowman. Randolph's efforts in 1930 came up just shy, as he lost by 1,200 votes out of 70,000 cast in a Republican year. Apparently, however, this narrow loss did not deter him, and in 1932, he ran again and defeated the same opponent to become a United States congressman at the age of thirty. (12) Once during these first campaigns, while Randolph was at a rally in a coal mining town, he was just about to speak to the crowd when the lights in the venue mysteriously went out. In response, a voice in the crowded room shouted, "Will the Republican who turned the lights back out, please turn them back on!" The lights soon came back on, and Randolph made his way to the podium. As a young man campaigning for Congress, he might have been rattled by this unforeseen interruption, but instead he responded in his typically jovial and amusing way, changing the words of a familiar hymn to better suit the occasion:

   Let the lower lights be burning, send a gleam across the wave,
   Some poor Republican you may rescue, you may save. (13)

Randolph's ready wit endeared him to his constituents as did his uncanny ability to remember the names of the people he met along the campaign trail, names he could later recall at will.

During the period between his election in November 1932 and his arrival in Washington, D.C., Randolph married Mary Katherine Babb in Keyser, West Virginia, on February 18, 1933. The couple had a long and happy life together and were married forty-eight years before cancer overcame Mary and she passed into her eternal reward in March 1981. The couple was blessed with two sons, Jennings, Jr. (Jay), born in 1934, and Frank, born in 1938. (14)

To be a Democrat in 1932 was to be a proponent of the New Deal program of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was elected that same year. Randolph was just such a New Dealer. In 1933, several new congressmen went to Capitol Hill, most newly elected New Dealers, and the first one hundred days of the Seventy-Third Congress were notable in that extensive legislation passed in an attempt to counter the effects of the Depression. Because the Democratic majority was so large in the Seventy-Third Congress, the Democratic party leadership appointed fifteen assistant whips to help aid the work of the majority. Randolph was selected to be the assistant whip for the states of West Virginia and Ohio. Apparently, he had managed to make quite an impression, even as a newly elected member of that body. (15) For the most part, he supported both the New Deal legislation and Roosevelt's larger program. Early on in the "Hundred Days," after the introduction of one particularly controversial piece of legislation, Randolph voiced his support of the leadership of Roosevelt, saying, "I am going to vote for the program of Roosevelt in the spirit of the old hymn. I know that my heart, as a new Member, is right, and I want, in this particular crisis, in the words of the old hymn, to go with him all the way." (16)

Such was Randolph's support for the president and the Democratic program in that critical stage of our nation's history. Randolph remained a Democrat for the remainder of his life, though what that term meant changed considerably over the course of his life. As time progressed, he retained his party affiliation, but gradually slid toward the conservative element of his party, resulting in this man, who was once called, a "good, liberal congressman," being accused of being too conservative. (17) Randolph served the West Virginia's Second District until early 1947. In 1946, he was narrowly defeated by a Republican opponent who was also a returning war hero. (18)

The Middle Years

In 1946, Randolph's constituents voted to remove him from office, despite his being named the congressman who did most for his constituents. (19) Seemingly undeterred by this vote, Randolph moved into the private sector and took a job with Capital Airlines. One of his greatest areas of interest had long been the then-fledgling commercial airline industry. Later in his life, Randolph would come to be called by some "the father of modern American commercial aviation." (20)

In 1947, Randolph was introduced as Capital Airlines' assistant to the president. Essentially, this role placed him in an environment in which he could thrive, making use of his extensive public speaking experience and his incredible people skills. His task was to increase goodwill toward Capital, at that time the fourth largest commercial airline in the country. (21) Accordingly, Randolph traveled to airport dedications throughout the Ohio Valley and the surrounding areas, promoting Capital Airlines and expressing excitement about the expansion of Capital into new airports, and extolling and encouraging communities. (22)

By all accounts, the time Randolph spent with Capital Airlines, from 1947 until his election to the United States Senate in 1958, were productive and successful. During this time, Randolph remained active within the Democratic Party and was routinely voted to be a part of the contingent from West Virginia to the National Democratic Convention. (23) He continued to devote time to speaking and teaching engagements at the various colleges and universities with which he was associated. By 1958, Randolph was one of the most easily recognizable public figures in the state of West Virginia.

Senator Randolph

Randolph returned to a life of political service in 1958, when he was elected as a senator for West Virginia. By a strange twist of fate, he became the eider senator from his state the minute he accepted his oath of office. In 1958, both Senate seats in West Virginia were open, one because of the death of Senator Matthew Neely in January. Randolph ran for the seat left open by Neely's death, while the Democratic candidate for the other seat was the then-Sixth District Congressman Robert Byrd. Both were elected in 1958, but because Randolph was taking over for an appointee, he was sworn in shortly after his victory, making him the senior senator from West Virginia by all of six weeks. (24)

During Randolph's time in the Senate, he picked up where he left off in the House of Representatives, championing causes and issues that mattered to his constituency. His appointments to the Committee on Labor and the Committee on Public Works allowed him to seek to do good things for the people of his state, and his record demonstrated that he succeeded admirably in that pursuit. (25) He was active in legislation pertaining to the corporate and labor issues attached to coal mining, a longtime integral part of the West Virginia economy. Balancing his commitment to the stability of the economy of West Virginia with his commitment to his constituents and the environment, he attempted to steer a moderate course, occasionally earning the ire of the respective sides of the debate. (26)

In 1960, Randolph again went before the voters of West Virginia. In that election, biographer Robert Florian recorded that his campaign was closely tied to the gubernatorial and presidential elections. Because questions were raised concerning John E Kennedy's Catholic faith, Randolph suggested that Kennedy use his state as a testing ground. (27) Though Randolph stayed neutral throughout the course of that presidential campaign, he was impressed early on by Kennedy's interest in the people of West Virginia, and after Kennedy won the Democratic nomination, Randolph vigorously defended him. Both men were elected in 1960.

Randolph served in the United States Senate for thirty-six years, from 1958 until 1984. Upon his retirement from politics, at the age of eighty-two, he returned his membership to his home church in Salem, and eventually moved to St. Louis, where he lived his last years. After his death on May 8, 1998, he was buried in the hills of his beloved West Virginia. (28) His long life of contributions to the people of his country and his brothers and sisters in Christ will certainly be long remembered.

The Legacy of Jennings Randolph

Following long years of public service, Randolph left a legacy that included contributions in voting rights, human rights, transportation, and the pursuit of peace. Besides being an advocate for people exercising their right to vote, Randolph did his best to extend the voting privileges of all Americans. He was the author of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment, which extended the right to vote to eighteen-year-olds. (29) In addition, during his time in the House of Representatives, he served as head of the Committee on the District of Columbia, serving as the de facto mayor of the city from 1939 to 1947, when he left office. During his time as head of the committee, he fought for the self-governance of the nation's capital, suggesting legislation both in 1938 and 1939 that would have given the city more extensive control of its own government. (30) His leadership in this area was consistent with the larger pattern of Randolph's life. Even when he did not hold a political office, he encouraged people to exercise the right to vote, which was a common theme of many of his speeches.

In the realm of human rights, Randolph was also a leader. One of the first bills he introduced as a freshman representative was a bill that gave the visually handicapped the right to sell goods on the nation's property, a move which helped the previously aggrieved group to escape the financial difficulties that had earlier ensnared them. (31) Randolph also worked tirelessly for the rights of the physically and mentally handicapped and was named first chairperson of the Senate Subcommittee on the Handicapped. (32) In the midst of one of the greatest crises this nation has ever seen, the Great Depression, Randolph consistently supported legislation that put people back to work in an effort to increase their self-worth and bolster their financial well-being. (33) In his time in the Senate, he supported legislation that benefited the aged. In sifting through the bills that Randolph supported, it is hard to find a human rights issue with which he did not become involved; he desired to give everyone the basic human rights they deserved as people made in God's image. When Randolph returned to public office in 1958, the Civil Rights movement was in full swing, and he did not sway from supporting the rights of southern minorities. (34)

Randolph's contributions to American transportation can still be felt today. He was an early proponent of the commercial aviation industry in America, and throughout his terms in office and in the private sector, Randolph continued to promote the many benefits of a strong national air transportation structure. He was a strong advocate of the development of a system of national roads, which fomented in legislation that led to the creation of our current interstate highway system. His campaign for the modernization of American roads began in 1937 when he chaired the House Roads Committee. His lifelong contribution to our modern systems of interstate commerce was honored in 1990 when Interstate 79 in West Virginia was designated as "The Jennings Randolph Highway." (35)

Another of Randolph's lifelong passions was the pursuit of peace. Although he was not a pacifist, he was a strong advocate for the pursuit of peace. In the Sabbath Recorder, the Seventh Day Baptist periodical, he wrote an article entitled "Time for a Department of Peace," (36) in which he called for the creation of a Cabinet-level department whose purpose would be to pursue peace in the same spirit and energy that the War and Sate Departments pursued their respective work. He noted that "if America does not take the leadership of keeping the peoples of the world together, utter chaos is going to result. It is my hope that America may assume this leadership in effective machinery for the continuing program to eliminate war." Although Randolph's proposal was not accepted in 1945, he continued to work for peace, and just before he left office in 1985, a national Institute for Peace was established, which continues to work to promote peace in this country and around the world. (37) At the time of Randolph's death, the United Sates Institute for Peace published a brief memoriam, which included his opinion of the Institute: "My most important unfinished project was completed [in 1984] when we established the United Sates Institute of Peace.... I am certain that our decision to establish the U.S. Institute of Peace will be regarded by those who come after us as one of the best investments in the future our nation has ever made." (38)

The Conclusion of the Matter

Listing the accomplishments of a man like Randolph does not do him justice. We can look at his accomplishments and get a feel for the political or societal importance of the man, but such an evaluation is cold, unfeeling, and most importantly, insufficient. Randolph was a man with deep, personal, saving faith in Jesus Christ, and his faith informed everything he did, both as a Christian and as a legislator. He frequently quoted scripture and hymns on the campaign trail and on the floor of Congress. Throughout his long life, he was an active participant in the Seventh Day Baptist churches in Salem, West Virginia, and in Washington, D.C. At one point, he rallied Seventh Day Baptists to save the Washington, D.C., church from extinction after a series of ill circumstances threatened its existence. (39) He was an active participant in the Congressional prayer breakfasts and a proponent of Seventh Day Baptist participation in groups like the Baptist Joint Committee, often serving as their representative. In 1966, he was elected the first vice president of the North American Baptist Fellowship, a regional committee of the Baptist World Alliance. (40) The issues Randolph chose to focus on during his life reflect his own conviction of the truth of the scriptures; and the means by which he pursued them demonstrate that his own character and dignity remained in tact, no small feat given the corrupting tug of political power.

At the 1983 yearly meeting of the Seventh Day Baptist General Conference held in Houghton, New York, Randolph repeated something he had heard industrialist Henry J. Kaiser say. These sentences summarized Randolph's own view of power perfectly: "I sought to hear the voice of God and climbed the highest steeple, But God declared, 'Go down again ... I dwell among the people.'" During his remarks that evening in Houghton, Randolph reminded his brothers and sisters of their responsibility to go out into the world that God made and affect change as they represent God there. The call to serve as Randolph served remains upon all of us. We must choose to remember that we all serve as Christ's representatives and take up the places and positions in which he places us and serve wholeheartedly. The life and contributions of Jennings Randolph should be a strong reminder that it is both possible and commendable to be both socially active and deeply responsive to the callings of God on each of us. May we not be found wanting.

(1.) I am deeply indebted to the work of Robert Florian, who has written an extensive biography on the life and faith of Jennings Randolph, covering his life and contributions to the year 1963.

(2.) Robert B. Florian, "Mr. Randolph: The Gentleman from West Virginia, The Biography of Jennings Randolph 1902-1998," unpublished manuscript, used by permission of the Benedum Library, Salem International University, 22. See also Sabbath Recorder, 114, no. 5 (January 30, 1933): 109.

(3.) Don A. Sanford, A Choosing People: The History of Seventh Day Baptists (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1992), 121.

(4.) Ibid., 215.

(5.) Florian, "Mr. Randolph," 20.

(6.) Ibid., 22.

(7.) Ibid.

(8.) Ibid., 32.

(9.) Ibid., 33.

(10.) Ibid., 40.

(11.) Ibid., 39.

(12.) Ibid., 42.

(13.) Don A. Sanford, interview by author, May 10, 2006.

(14.) Florian, "Mr. Randolph," 46.

(15.) Ibid., 58.

(16.) Ibid., 50.

(17.) Anne Millet, Jennings Randolph: Democratic Senator from West Virginia (New York: Grossman Publishers, 1972), 2.

(18.) Florian, "Mr. Randolph," 120.

(19.) Ibid.

(20.) "From Roosevelt's Outings to Reagan's Greetings," The New York Times, October 5, 1984.

(21.) Florian, "Mr. Randolph," 147.

(22.) Ibid.

(23.) Ibid., 155.

(24.) Ibid., 169.

(25.) Ibid., 170.

(26.) Ibid.

(27.) Ibid., 188.

(28.) Sabbath Recorder, 220, nos. 7-8 (July-August 1998): 28.

(29.) Ibid.

(30.) Florian, "Mr. Randolph," 52-54.

(31.) Sabbath Recorder, 205, no. 5 (May 1983): 4.

(32.) Ibid.

(33.) Florian, "Mr. Randolph," 74-80.

(34.) Millet, Jennings Randolph, 3.

(35.) "I-79 Now Jennings Randolph Highway," Elkins (WV) Inter-Mountain, March 9, 1990.

(36.) Sabbath Recorder, 141, no. 8 (August 19, 1946): 137-38.

(37.) "From Roosevelt's Outings to Reagan's Greetings," The New York Times, October 5, 1984.

(38.) See http://www.usip.org/peacewatch/1998/698/jrandol.html, accessed May 10, 2006.

(39.) Report of the Washington Commission (Seventh Day Baptist Historical Society Archives).

(40.) Sanford, A Choosing People, 324.

Nicholas Kersten is the librarian-historian of the Seventh Day Baptist Historical Society, Janesville, Wisconsin.