John Dennis Randolph was born on April 30, 1923 in Claremore, Oklahoma. He became deaf at the age of three by whooping cough. He attended public schools in Oklahoma and Texas from age five to ten. He lost more of his hearing at the age of nine by scarlet fever, and then became severely deafened at the age of 12 by a double mastoid attack.

John D. Randolph attended the Texas School for the Deaf from 1933 to 1940. He entered Gallaudet College in 1940 and graduated from Gallaudet College in 1945 with a BA.

He went on to graduate school at the University of Texas and majored in Organic Chemistry, against many of his acquaintances’ advice. He got his MA in February 1948. He was an assistant to Dr. Benjamin F. Stimmel at the Rees Stealy Medical Research Foundation in San Diego carrying out cancer research from January 1949 to September 1953.

He worked for the U. S. Government as an Analytical chemist for the Bureau of Mines in 1955 and transferred to U.S. Patent Office (now U.S. Patent and Trademark Office) in 1956.

While working at the U.S. Patent office, he went on to study law at the Georgetown Law School from 1956 to 1960 and received his LL.B. degree in 1960.

In 1966, John D. Randolph received the Department of Commerce Bronze Medal Award.

In 1969, he was involved with the U.S. Shooting Team for the 11th International Games for the Deaf in 1969 (in Yugoslavia) and 12th International Games for the Deaf in 1973 (in Malmo, Sweden).

John D. Randolph retired from the U.S. Patent Office in 1982 and he died on June 30, 1992.