2 weeks ago
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As Americans celebrate the 250th anniversary of independence, they are also celebrating the first attorneys general who helped establish the justice system.
Among the first five were those who served in the Continental Army, helped ratify the U.S. Constitution, were elected to state legislatures and served in state leadership roles. They also established legal precedent, advocated for states’ rights and defended impeached judges and a former vice president accused of treason.
The first U.S. attorney general was Edmund J. Randolph, appointed by the first president, George Washington. Randolph joined the Continental Army in August 1775 and served as General Washington’s aide-de-camp. A Virginia lawyer and delegate to the Continental Congress, Randolph helped draft and ratify the U.S. Constitution.
He was elected to the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1776 and served on the committee that drafted the state bill of right...
English (US) ·