Richard Bland Lee I
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Richard Bland Lee (January 20, 1761–March 12, 1827) was a planter, jurist, and politician from Fairfax County, Virginia.
Richard was the son of Maj. Gen. Henry Lee II (1730-1787) of “Leesylvania” and, Lucy Grymes (1734-1792) the "Lowland Beauty".
Richard was the younger brother of Maj. Gen. Henry Lee III. (1756-1818).
Contents |
[edit] Career
Richard served as a member of the House of Delegates in 1784, and for many years afterward. He was the first representative of Northern Virginia in the United States House of Representatives of which he served from 1789 to 1795. His vote determined the location of the Federal City. He again served in the House from 1825-1827. Richard was one of three Commissioners to superintend the reconstruction of the Federal buildings after the War of 1812, and was also a founder of Phi Beta Kappa.
He resided at his estate "Sully", which he had inherited in 1787. He erected the present house in 1794. Because of his many responsibilities in public life Richard purchased a townhouse in Washington and sold "Sully" to a cousin, Francis Lightfoot Lee (1782-1858), whose son, Rear Admiral Samuel Phillips Lee (1812-1897), married Elizabeth Blair, daughter of Francis Preston Blair (1791-1876), a member of President Jackson's "Kitchen Cabinet", and Eliza Violet Gist. Richard's townhouse on Pennsylvania Avenue combined with the adjacent Blair House is now the Presidents' guest house.
“Sully” originally consisted of over 3,000 acres of land when it was purchased by Capt. Henry Lee I (1691-1747) in 1725. "Sully" is located at Chantilly, just off U.S. Route 50, on State 28, the southern access road to Dulles International Airport. It is owned and operated as a museum house by the Fairfax County Park Authority.
[edit] Marriage
Richard married Elizabeth Collins (ca. 1768-1858) in 1794. Elizabeth was the daughter of Stephen Collins and Mary Parish.
[edit] Death
Richard died in Washington, D.C. and was buried in the Congressional cemetery there in 1827. In 1975 he was reintered at his home, the Sully Plantation near Chantilly, Virginia. His home is now open to visitors as a county park.
[edit] Trivia
Lee served on the first Rules Committee empaneled by the House of Representatives. The current chairman of the committee, David Dreier of California, claims to be a distant relative of Lee.[1]
[edit] Children
1. Mary Ann Lee (1795).
2. Col. Richard Bland Lee II (1797-1875), who married Julia Anna Marion Prosser (1806-1882), daughter of William Prosser.
3. Ann Matilda Lee (1799-1880), who married Dr. Baily Washington III (1787-1854).
4. Cornelia Lee (1804-1876), who married Dr. James W. F. Marcrae.
5. Hon. Zacheus Collins Lee (1805-1859), who married Martha Ann Jenkins.
[edit] Ancestry
Richard was the son of Maj. Gen. Henry Lee II (1730-1787) of “Leesylvania” and, Lucy Grymes (1734-1792) the "Lowland Beauty".
Lucy was the daughter of Hon. Charles Grymes (1693-1743) and Frances Jennings.
Henry II, was the third son of Capt. Henry Lee I (1691-1747) of “Lee Hall”, Westmoreland County, and his wife, Mary Bland (1704-1764).
Mary was the daughter of Hon. Richard Bland, Sr. (1665-1720) and his second wife, Elizabeth Randolph (1685-1719).
Henry I, was the son of Col. Richard Lee II, Esq., “the scholar” (1647-1715) and Laetitia Corbin (ca. 1657-1706).
Laetitia was the daughter of Richard’s neighbor and, Councillor, Hon. Henry Corbin, Sr. (1629-1676) and Alice (Eltonhead) Burnham (ca. 1627-1684).
Richard II, was the son of Col. Richard Lee I, Esq., "the immigrant" (1618-1664) and Anne Constable (ca. 1621-1666).
Anne was the daughter of Thomas Constable and a ward of Sir John Thoroughgood.
[edit] References
- ^ CQ's Politics in America 2006, 109th Congress, Congressional Quarterly Publications (2006)
[edit] External links
 |
This article about a Virginia politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
