[4] Earning Randolph the reputation of "evil genius of New England and her angel of death",[5] his reports to the Lords of Trade (predecessors to the 18th century Board of Trade) convinced King Charles II to revoke the charter of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1684, and he was a leading figure in the unpopular Dominion of New England.
While in that position, he argued for tighter Crown control over proprietary and charter colonies whose administrations lacked such oversight, and he was often given the difficult task of enforcing England's Navigation Acts in whichever colony he was posted to, often against significant local popular and political resistance.
His actions were a significant contribution to the development of Great Britain's colonial administrative infrastructure, but he remained unpopular in the dominion.
[6] Randolph urged William Blathwayt to pass legislation to prevent colonial misconduct related to trade in 1696.
[10] In 1702 Randolph seized a vessel, questioning its seaworthiness, but the authorities of Maryland put it back in the trade.