Francis Lightfoot Lee
Encyclopedia
Francis Lightfoot Lee was a member of the House of Burgesses
in the Colony of Virginia. As an active protester of issues such as the Stamp Act
, Lee helped move the colony in the direction of independence from Britain
. Lee was a delegate to the Virginia Conventions
and the Continental Congress. He was a signer of the Articles of Confederation
and the Declaration of Independence
as a representative of Virginia
.
, located in Westmoreland County
. He was educated at home, where Lee pursued classical studies under Dr. Craig. He was of English descent, and was born into one of the First Families of Virginia
. Lee was the son of Thomas Lee
and Hannah Harrison Ludwell (of the nearby Greenspring Plantation).
In 1772, Francis married his first cousin, Rebecca Plater Tayloe.
Lee lived his entire life in the region of Virginia between the Rappahannock River
and the Chesapeake Bay
(known as the Northern Neck
).
”) in Richmond County, Virginia
, on January 11, 1797. He is buried in the Tayloe family burial ground at Mount Airy Plantation
, near Warsaw, Virginia
.
Lee was the grandson of Col. Richard Lee II
and a great-grandson of Col. Richard Lee I
. Senator Richard Henry Lee
, and diplomats William Lee
and Dr. Arthur Lee
, were his brothers. Another brother, Thomas Ludwell Lee
, was appointed to a committee, along with Thomas Jefferson
, to re-write the laws of Virginia.
House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses was the first assembly of elected representatives of English colonists in North America. The House was established by the Virginia Company, who created the body as part of an effort to encourage English craftsmen to settle in North America...
in the Colony of Virginia. As an active protester of issues such as the Stamp Act
Stamp Act
A stamp act is any legislation that requires a tax to be paid on the transfer of certain documents. Those that pay the tax receive an official stamp on their documents, making them legal documents. The taxes raised under a stamp act are called stamp duty. This system of taxation was first devised...
, Lee helped move the colony in the direction of independence from Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
. Lee was a delegate to the Virginia Conventions
Virginia Conventions
The Virginia Conventions were a series of five political meetings in the Colony of Virginia during the American Revolution. Because the House of Burgesses had been dissolved in 1774 by Royal Governor Lord Dunmore, the conventions served as a revolutionary provisional government until the...
and the Continental Congress. He was a signer of the Articles of Confederation
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation, formally the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement among the 13 founding states that legally established the United States of America as a confederation of sovereign states and served as its first constitution...
and the Declaration of Independence
United States Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
as a representative of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Family and education and early life
Francis Lee was born October 14, 1734 at Stratford HallStratford Hall Plantation
Stratford Hall Plantation in Westmoreland County, Virginia, was the home of four generations of the Lee family of Virginia, including two signers of the Declaration of Independence, and it was the birthplace of Robert Edward Lee , who became the Confederate General-in-chief during the American...
, located in Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,718 people, 6,846 households, and 4,689 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 9,286 housing units at an average density of...
. He was educated at home, where Lee pursued classical studies under Dr. Craig. He was of English descent, and was born into one of the First Families of Virginia
First Families of Virginia
First Families of Virginia were those families in Colonial Virginia who were socially prominent and wealthy, but not necessarily the earliest settlers. They originated with colonists from England who primarily settled at Jamestown, Williamsburg, and along the James River and other navigable waters...
. Lee was the son of Thomas Lee
Thomas Lee (Virginia colonist)
Thomas Lee was a leading political figure of colonial Virginia. He was a member of the Lee family, a political dynasty which included many figures from the pre-American Revolutionary War era until the late 20th century. Lee became involved in politics in 1710 and he became the resident manager of...
and Hannah Harrison Ludwell (of the nearby Greenspring Plantation).
In 1772, Francis married his first cousin, Rebecca Plater Tayloe.
Lee lived his entire life in the region of Virginia between the Rappahannock River
Rappahannock River
The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in American...
and the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
(known as the Northern Neck
Northern Neck
The Northern Neck is the northernmost of three peninsulas on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This peninsula is bounded by the Potomac River on the north and the Rappahannock River on the south. It encompasses the following Virginia counties: Lancaster,...
).
Government service
In 1774, Lee was among those who called for a general congress and the first of the Virginia Conventions, which he attended. He served in the Virginia State Senate from 1778 to 1782, and was a delegate to the first Continental Congress held in Philadelphia, serving until 1779. As a congressional representative of Virginia, he signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation.Death
Lee died at his residence (named “MenokinMenokin
Menokin, also known as Francis Lightfoot Lee House, was the home of Francis Lightfoot Lee near Warsaw, Virginia. Lee was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence...
”) in Richmond County, Virginia
Richmond County, Virginia
Richmond County is a county located on the Northern Neck in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state in the United States. As of 2010, the population was 9,254. Its county seat is Warsaw. The rural county should not be confused with the large city and state capital Richmond, Virginia, which is over...
, on January 11, 1797. He is buried in the Tayloe family burial ground at Mount Airy Plantation
Mount Airy, Richmond County, Virginia
Mount Airy, near Warsaw in Richmond County, Virginia, built in 1758-62, is a mid-Georgian plantation house, the first built in the manner of a neo-Palladian villa. It was constructed for Colonel John Tayloe II, perhaps the richest Virginia planter of his generation...
, near Warsaw, Virginia
Warsaw, Virginia
Warsaw is the county seat of Richmond County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,375 at the 2000 census.-History:The original name of the town was Richmond Courthouse. In 1830 the town's named changed to Warsaw...
.
Relations
Richard Lee II
Col. Richard Henry Lee II, Esq. was a Colonel, planter, member of the Upper House and the King's Council.Richard Henry II, was termed "Richard the Scholar". Richard was the son of Col. Richard Lee I, Esq., "the Immigrant" and Anne Constable Col. Richard Henry Lee II, Esq. (1647-1715) was a...
and a great-grandson of Col. Richard Lee I
Richard Lee I
Col. Richard Lee I, “the Immigrant” arrived in Jamestown in 1639 at the age of 22 with very little to his name other than the patronage of an influential man, Sir Francis Wyatt, the 1st Governor of Virginia. Once there he became Attorney General of the Colony of Virginia, Colonial Secretary of...
. Senator Richard Henry Lee
Richard Henry Lee
Richard Henry Lee was an American statesman from Virginia best known for the motion in the Second Continental Congress calling for the colonies' independence from Great Britain. He was a signatory to the Articles of Confederation and his famous resolution of June 1776 led to the United States...
, and diplomats William Lee
William Lee (diplomat)
William Lee was an American diplomat during the Revolutionary War.-Background:He was born at Stratford Hall Plantation in Westmoreland County, Virginia to Hon. Thomas Lee and Hannah Harrison Ludwell...
and Dr. Arthur Lee
Arthur Lee (diplomat)
Dr. Arthur Lee was an American diplomat during the American Revolutionary War. He was the son of Hon. Thomas Lee and Hannah Harrison Ludwell...
, were his brothers. Another brother, Thomas Ludwell Lee
Thomas Ludwell Lee
Thomas Ludwell Lee, Sr. was an editor of the Virginia Declaration of Rights. He was the older brother of Richard Henry Lee, Francis Lightfoot Lee, William Lee, and Arthur Lee. He was a member of the House of Burgesses from 1758-1765, but refused to enter into national politics...
, was appointed to a committee, along with Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, to re-write the laws of Virginia.
Further Reading
- Dill, Alonzo Thomas. Francis Lightfoot Lee, The Incomparable Signer. Edited by Edward M. Riley. Williamsburg: Virginia Independence Bicentennial Commission, 1977.
- Twain, Mark. "Francis Lightfoot Lee". Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, I, no. 3 (1877). Reprinted in Charles Neider, ed., Mark Twain: Life as I Find It (New York, 1961).