Born in Pownal, Cumberland County, Maine on December 5, 1834, William Henry Randall was the son of William and Lydia (Haskell) Randall.
William Randall, Sr. was a mill owner and merchant in Pownal. Mrs. Randall, the daughter of Gideon Winslow Haskell, was descended from the New England Winslows who figured prominently in the early history of New England’s Plymouth Colony.
William H. Randall was educated in North Pownal. When he was twelve in 1847, his father died at the age of 38. Young William inherited the Mill property from his father and by his late teens was running the mill operation and overseeing the family homestead, which consisted of forty acres. On January 20, 1862, he married Miss Helen J. Sylvester of Cumberland, Maine. He remained in his hometown until he was nearly 30 years old. In 1864, he went west, stopping at Virginia City, Nevada, where he engaged in mining. He remained there for ten years. In 1874, he returned to Maine and shortly thereafter brought his family to San Bernardino County, locating in Riverside, which was then part of the county. Subsequently, his wife died in Riverside, leaving three sons, George W. Henry I. and Martin M.
In 1878, he formed a partnership with William T. Noyes and purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land in what is now Highland. He acquired, by pre-emption, forty acres of government land. From this beginning he became one of Highland’s active and progressive citizens. He was a prime mover in the development of the Highland water system and an organizer of the Highland Vineyard Association.
On October 4, 1880 Randall married Mrs. Dorcas C. Thomspon, widow of James H. Thompson
In 1892, Mr. Randall was elected on the Democratic ticket as supervisor from the Fifth District. He served one term on the San Bernadino County Board of Supervisors, from January 2, 1893 to January 4, 1897.
He was a member of the board of supervisors when what is now Riverside County seceded from San Bernardino County on  May 2, 1893, after seventy percent of voters approved the formation of Riverside County. He was succeeded by George M. Cooley. As a county supervisor, Randall’s efforts were directed toward the advancement of the interest of the public and he labored tirelessly in that effort. He was active in the appropriation for the new granite courthouse and in instituting necessary reforms in the county hospital and poor farm, placing the latter on an economically sustainable footing. Mr. Randall was an earnest advocate of the temperance cause.
Randall died in Highland on May 25, 1897.