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A brilliant orator, John Randolph of Virginia, became the first Jeffersonian Republican chairman of Ways and Means in 1801. He championed President Jefferson's retrenchment policy by urging economy in public expenditures and reduction of taxation and the Revolutionary War debt. The renowned parliamentarian rallied key congressional support for the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. In 1805, as a result of his opposition to a plan to acquire Florida from Spain and a two-million-dollar appropriation, he fell out of favor with Jefferson. Nevertheless, he stands as one of the major congressional leaders during the nation's early years. |
