WHO HE WAS:

John Randolph of Roanoke was a planter and a Congressman from Virginia, known for his sharp wit and eccentricity in politics. Despite being born into the Virginia gentry, Randolph's political stance was often at odds with his class, leading to his advocacy for strict adherence to the Constitution and states' rights. He was a key figure in the Federalist Party and later became a leader of the "Old Republicans" or "Quids," a faction that critiqued mainstream Jeffersonian Republicans.