Essay 30-B: The Twenty-Sixth Amendment and Jennings Randolph
Jennings Randolph’s long public life offers an important window into one of the Declaration of Independence’s most enduring principles: government by consent.
Born in Salem, West Virginia, on March 8, 1902, Randolph grew up in a state where public service, education, and community life were deeply connected. He attended Salem College, worked as a reporter and editor, and later taught public speaking and journalism at Davis & Elkins College. Before he became nationally known as a senator, he was a teacher, communicator, and civic leader—experiences that shaped his belief that citizens should be prepared to participate in public life.
Randolph first ran for Congress in 1930 at age twenty-eight and narrowly lost. Two years later, he won election to the U.S. House of Representatives during Franklin Roosevelt’s first presidential campaign. He served in the House from 1933 to 1947, returned to private life after losing reelection, and later worked in public relations for Capital Airlines. In 1958, he was elected to the United States Senate from West Virginia, where he served until 1985.
