Thomas Lee | |
|---|---|
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| Royal Governor of Virginia | |
| Acting August 24, 1749 – November 14, 1750 | |
| Monarch | George II |
| Preceded by | John Robinson |
| Succeeded by | Lewis Burwell |
| Member of theVirginia Council of State | |
| In office 1733–1750 | |
| Member of theVirginia House of Burgesses fromWestmoreland County | |
| In office 1726–1733 Serving with George Eskridge | |
| Preceded by | Daniel McCarty |
| Succeeded by | Daniel McCarty Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1690 |
| Died | (1750-11-14)November 14, 1750 (aged 59-60) Stratford Hall,Westmoreland County, Colony of Virginia |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 11, includingPhilip,Richard,Thomas,Francis,William,Arthur, andHannah |
| Parents | |
| Residence(s) | Machodoc River, laterStratford Hall Plantation |
| Alma mater | College of William & Mary |
ColonelThomas Lee (c. 1690 – November 14, 1750) was a planter and politician incolonial Virginia, and a member of theLee family, apolitical dynasty. Lee became involved in politics in 1710, serving in both houses of theVirginia General Assembly, and also held important positions as Naval Officer for the Northern Potomac Region and agent for theNorthern Neck Proprietary. After his father died, Lee inherited thousands of acres of land as well as enslaved people in then-vastNorthumberland andStafford Counties in Virginia as well as across thePotomac River inCharles County, Maryland. These properties were developed astobaccoplantations. Northumberland County was later subdivided, so some of Lee's properties were in present-dayFairfax,Fauquier,Prince William, andLoudoun counties and counties in the present-dayNorthern Neck of Virginia.
When Lee marriedHannah Harrison Ludwell in 1722, he benefited from the connections of the already establishedHarrison family of Virginia. A year later, he would become a member of theHouse of Burgesses. Arson destroyed Lee's home, he used money fromCaroline of Ansbach and Britain to buildStratford Hall overlooking the Potomac River. Four years later, in 1733, he was appointed to theGovernor's Council, the upper house of the General Assembly. In 1747, he founded theOhio Company of Virginia with fellow Virginian colonists who wished to expand Virginia's territory into theOhio River Valley. For less than a year, in 1749 until his death in 1750, Lee served as thede factoroyal governor of Virginia in place of the absentWilliam Gooch.
Thomas Lee was born around 1690 atMount Pleasant, on the Machodoc River inWestmoreland County, Virginia. His parents wereColonelRichard Lee, "the scholar", andLaetitia Corbin, daughter ofHenry Corbin. His ancestors had immigrated fromCoton, Shropshire, toVirginia in 1642.[1][2] As the fourth son of the couple, Lee would not receive as large an inheritance as his older brothers.[3]
Lee attended college at theCollege of William & Mary around 1700.[4] Lee's education was referred to as a "common Virginia education".[5] He soon became interested in the working of the tobacco industry. He left home to work with his uncle Thomas Corbin in the tobacco business.
Lee's political career began in 1710 when he was appointed Naval Officer of the Northern Potomac River region. His father previously held the position, and resigned in favor of this son. The lucrative position involved collecting taxes for tobacco exported to England. In 1711, two of Lee's uncles, Thomas Corbin andEdmund Jenings, helped Lee become the Virginia agent for theNorthern Neck Proprietary. This property consisted of all the land between thePotomac andRappahnnock rivers, with Lee responsible for collecting thequit-rent.[3]
Fellow planterRobert "King" Carter had previously held the position as Virginia-based agent, as had Jenings, and Carter regained it from this man in 1720 or 1722. While Jenings was in England, the agency's offices were located at Machodoc and under Lee's supervision.[6] This lucrative position and multiple accusations of mismanagement led to decades of animosity between the Lee and Carter families.[7][8]
In 1714, upon his father's death, Lee inherited lands inNorthumberland County near Dividing Creek, as well as land in Maryland adjoining land inherited by Maryland-based his brotherPhilip from their childless uncle Captain John Lee. He leased the "Machodoc" estate from his elder brother Richard Lee III who was then living inLondon and experiencing severe financial problems. That same year Thomas visited England and remained for about a year attempting to resolve those finances.
Lee and his brotherHenry negotiated a lease for 99 years on the Machodoc plantation from Richard's widow after his death. While in England, Lee also boughtClifts Plantation, on thePotomac River in Westmoreland County.[9]
In 1720 Thomas Lee attempted to begin a political career as one of the two Burgesses representing Westmoreland County. While voters clearly elected George Eskridge, the contest between Thomas Lee and fellow planter Daniel McCarty proved close. Although Lee was initially announced as the winner, McCarty successfully contested the results. McCarty was also elected as the burgess to accompany George Eskridge in 1723 but died before the 1726 session, so Lee succeeded him.[10] Lee did win election in 1728 but relinquished the seat upon appointment to the legislature's upper house, the Governor's Council, in 1733, and McCarty's son, Daniel McCarty Jr. succeeded him.[11]
Lee also served as a vestryman forCople Parish andJustice of the Peace in Westmoreland County.[12] In 1723, Lee became a member of the House of Burgesses. He held this office until he was appointed to theGovernor's Council in theVirginia General Assembly in 1733. This position was a lifetime appointment. The council was made up of twelve appointed by the Governor of Virginia and was the upper half of the Virginia General Assembly. The lower half comprised theHouse of Burgesses. This position also gave Lee the rank of Colonel, a military rank that was second only to the governor.[7] Council members were advisers to the governor and judges in the colony's General Court. Their work led them to spend about a third of the year in the capital Williamsburg.[7]
When Governor William Gooch was recalled to England in 1749, Lee was the longest serving member and thus President of the King's Council of Virginia and Commander-in-Chief of the colony. Nominated for appointment as Governor of Virginia byKing George II, he died before it took place.[13][14]
Lee thought that marriage was not only important between two individuals but for their families. A nephew of his later said, "Our Late Hon[ora]ble & worthy Unkle Presid[ent] Lee said that the first fall & ruin of families and estates were mostly Occasioned by Imprudent Matches to Imbeggar families and estates & to beget a race of beggars."[15] He was engaged to Jenny Wilson in 1716. That year he returned to England to formalize the lease to the plantation before he married. Before his return, Jenny Wilson had found another husband, James Roscoe. Lee learned this fromWilliam Byrd.[7]
In May 1722, Thomas Lee marriedHannah Harrison Ludwell (December 5, 1701 – January 25, 1750), a member of the prominentHarrison family of Virginia, atGreen Spring Plantation, James City County, Virginia.[16] The marriage lasted his life and brought him increased wealth and status. Hannah was the daughter of Philip Ludwell II of Green Spring, and Hannah Harrison. The couple had eleven children; eight survived to adulthood:[7]
1728 was a tragic year for Lee and his family. On January 29, thieves broke into the house, stealing the Lee family plate, jewelry, and other articles of value, and upon leaving, set fire to the plantation house at Machodoc. The fire destroyed the entire plantation, including Thomas' office, the barns, and the outhouses. Almost all of the Lees' possessions were destroyed, as well as up to 10,000 pounds in cash (equal to £1,708,333 today).[19] The house quickly burned, and Hannah Lee, pregnant with her fourth child, had to be thrown from her chamber window on the second floor. This resulted in Hannah's miscarriage of a son (they named him John). Also injured in the fire was a young enslaved girl who died of her wounds.[20] Virginia GovernorWilliam Gooch blamed transported convicts for the crime. It is said that Col. Lee's loss was not less than 50,000 pounds (equal to £8,541,667 today). British officials later gave Lee 300 pounds (equal to £51,250 today) as compensation, andQueen Caroline also gave him money from her private purse to help finance the rebuilding.[21][22] The convicts and an accomplice were later found guilty. Their punishment is unknown because the trial records were destroyed.[7] When construction began on the new Lee mansion, the family stayed with Thomas's brother Henry atLee Hall. Lee sold the "Machodoc" estate to Richard Lee III's son, George Lee, who built "Mount Pleasant".
Lee's political career required trips toWilliamsburg, causing him to be away from his family for extended periods. Lee managed to make the 80-mile (130-km) journey to his family and to be with his wife at the births of each of their children.[23] Several of the sons became high-ranking political figures and were active in theAmerican Revolutionary War and post-war politics. Richard Henry was a senator from Virginia to theUnited States Senate, and Francis Lightfoot was in the Virginia Senate. Lee's youngest sonsWilliam Lee andArthur Lee served as diplomats to various European nations.[24] William, along with Jan de Neufville, drafted an unofficial treaty between the United States and theDutch Republic whichGreat Britain used as acasus belli for theFourth Anglo-Dutch War.[25]
Lee was appointed commissioner, along withWilliam Beverley, to negotiate with theSix Nations of the Iroquois at theTreaty of Lancaster in 1744.[26] At the treaty, an agreement was made with the Six Nations for 400 pounds (equal to £86,029 today) in return for the right for Virginians to travel through and settle in theShenandoah Valley.[27]
In 1747, Lee co-founded theOhio Company of Virginia along withLawrence Washington,Augustine Washington Jr., theDuke of Bedford, and John Hanbury. The Ohio Company was a land speculation venture which helped colonize theOhio Country. Lee's influence as a member of the Governor's Council helped lead to the success of the Ohio Company, and within seven years, the company had 100 families living in Ohio. He was also the company's first president and, after Lee died, was succeeded by Lawrence Washington.
With Lee's higher rank in society and wealth, he decided he needed to build a mansion to secure his position as one of the Virginiagentry.[7] he chose the "Clifts," which he had owned since the mid-1710s. Lee decided on this site because it was located in Westmoreland County, where he was born, and because it was located on the Potomac River. The land was sufficient for many construction laborers to live there. Hannah had an influential say in designing and planning the house's interior. Philip, the couple's eldest son, had said, "See what it is to be ruled by a woman. I should have been now living in a house like this ... had not my father been persuaded by his wife to put up this very inferior dwelling, now over my head."[28] The exact construction date of the house is unknown, but it is estimated that construction began around 1725–30, as all of Lee's sons were born at Stratford. Workers on the plantation were from all the working class: free people andindentured servants (mostly from Europe), andenslaved people.[29]
Between 1719 and 1746, Lee acquired vast holdings in what are nowFairfax,Fauquier,Prince William, andLoudoun counties. The town ofLeesburg, was named in his honor as recommended by his two sons, the founders and trustees.[citation needed]
Hannah Harrison died at "Stratford" on January 25, 1749, having borne eleven children.[7] She was buried in the old family burying ground, called the "Burnt House Fields", at "Mount Pleasant". Her tombstone was later removed to "Stratford Hall", probably by Henry Lee, who built the new vault at that place. On November 14, 1750, Thomas Lee died at age sixty and was buried in the old "Burnt House Fields" at Mount Pleasant. According to his will, he wished to be buried in between his wife and his mother.[7] He bequeathed Stratford Hall to his eldest son, Philip Ludwell Lee, and the Machodoc plantation to his nephew, George Lee.[7]
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)History of the Colony and Ancient Dominion of Virginia.
The Life of Robert E. Lee for Boys and Girls.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)| Government offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Colonial Governor of Virginia 1749–1750 | Succeeded by |
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