George Randall was born in Warren, Rhode Island, on November 23, 1810, the son of Samuel and Martha Randall. He attended Brown University, where he graduated in 1835. He then undertook theological studies at the General Theological Seminary, from which he graduated in 1838. George A. Jarvis, who was a long-time friend that became a benefactor for a number of Randall's programs, donated monies to fund Randall's education. During seminary Randall helped start a Sunday school program.
Religious career
Ordained
In his hometown of Warren, Randall was ordained a deacon in the Episcopal Church on July 17, 1838, and became a priest on November 2, 1839.
Early ministry
Randall began his ordained ministry by serving as the rector of the Church of the Ascension in Fall River, Massachusetts. He moved from there to become the rector of the Church of the Messiah in Boston in 1844. He remained in this position until he was elevated to the episcopate. While serving in Massachusetts, he was a diocesan deputy to the General Convention from 1850 until 1865. In 1862 and 1865 he was elected the Secretary to the House of Clerical and Lay Deputies, to which he had previously served as Assistant Secretary. In 1856 he received his Doctor of Sacred Theology degree from Brown University. For many years he was the editor of The Christian Witness and Church Advocate and published many tracts including Why I Am a Churchman.
Episcopate
Randall was consecrated as Missionary Bishop of the Missionary District of Colorado and Parts Adjacent in Trinity Church, Boston, on December 28, 1865, by Presiding Bishop John Henry Hopkins, assisted by Bishops Benjamin Smith and Manton Eastburn, among others. His jurisdiction originally contained the territories of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. In 1866, Montana and Idaho were removed, while New Mexico was added to the district. Upon arriving in Colorado, he helped establish Calvary Church in Golden. Noting the lack of higher education in the territory, he also helped established the Colorado University Schools which included a school of mines, the Jarvis Hall secondary school, and the Matthews Hallschool of theology. George A. Jarvis, the largest contributor to the territorial activities of Bishop Randall, donated funds for the development of Wolfe Hall, an Episcopal school for girls in Denver. It was located at Champa and 17th Street. John D. Wolfe of New York, the second largest donor and the namesake for Wolfe Hall, which was built by 1871. Bishop Randall lived there with his wife.
Publications
Personal life
An active Freemason, Randall was raised in Washington Lodge No. 3 in Warren, was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts from 1852-1854, and was Grand Orator of the Grand Lodge of Colorado in 1872. Randall died from pneumonia at his residence in Denver in 1873, leaving behind a wife, Elizabeth Hoar. He was buried in Warren, Rhode Island.
