Henry Lee IV
Encyclopedia
Henry Lee IV (28 May 1787 – 30 January 1837) was a Biographer and historian
, born in Stratford, Virginia, to Major General Light Horse Harry and Matilda Lee. He was a half-brother of Confederate
General Robert E. Lee
. In 1808 he graduated from William and Mary College. He served as a speech writer for the statesman John C. Calhoun
as well as the presidential candidate Andrew Jackson
. When Jackson won, Lee helped write the inaugural address. President Jackson rewarded him by a consular appointment to Algeria
; the Senate
, however, refused the confirmation. His remaining seven years of his life he traveled abroad dying in Paris, France.
Lee′s nickname of “Black Horse” — a pun on the nickname of his famous father, “Light Horse” — arose from a scandal that occurred two years after his daughter′s death. Lee embarked on an affair with his wife′s young sister, Elizabeth, who was his ward at the time. According to at least one version of the story, Elizabeth became pregnant, although there′s no record of the child having survived.
McCarthy family brought suit to remove Lee as the trustee of Elizabeth's inheritance and recovery of the money. Unbeknownst to the McCarthy's, Lee had misappropriated a portion of the trust for the upkeep of the Stratford plantation, his ancestral home going back six generations. In order to conceal the misappropriation, Lee attempted to marry Elizabeth off to an unscrupulous suitor, without success. The legal fallout forced Lee to sell Stratford out of the family.
Anne Lee, who had become addicted to morphine while trying to dampen her grief, fled to Tennessee, where she often stayed with the future president, Andrew Jackson, and his wife. Henry Lee later followed, beseeching his wife to forgive him. That is how Lee befriended Jackson and began his political rehabilitation.
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, born in Stratford, Virginia, to Major General Light Horse Harry and Matilda Lee. He was a half-brother of Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
General Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
. In 1808 he graduated from William and Mary College. He served as a speech writer for the statesman John C. Calhoun
John C. Calhoun
John Caldwell Calhoun was a leading politician and political theorist from South Carolina during the first half of the 19th century. Calhoun eloquently spoke out on every issue of his day, but often changed positions. Calhoun began his political career as a nationalist, modernizer, and proponent...
as well as the presidential candidate Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
. When Jackson won, Lee helped write the inaugural address. President Jackson rewarded him by a consular appointment to Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
; the Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, however, refused the confirmation. His remaining seven years of his life he traveled abroad dying in Paris, France.
Literary works
- The Campaign of 1781 in the Carolinas. 1824
- Observations on the Writings of Thomas Jefferson. 1832
- The Life of Emperor Napoleon. 1835
Family
On 29 March 1817 he married Anne Robinson McCarty, daughter of Daniel McCarty and Margaret Robinson. Anne and Henry had one child, Margaret, born in the Autumn of 1818 and barely two years later she died in a tragic accident.Lee′s nickname of “Black Horse” — a pun on the nickname of his famous father, “Light Horse” — arose from a scandal that occurred two years after his daughter′s death. Lee embarked on an affair with his wife′s young sister, Elizabeth, who was his ward at the time. According to at least one version of the story, Elizabeth became pregnant, although there′s no record of the child having survived.
McCarthy family brought suit to remove Lee as the trustee of Elizabeth's inheritance and recovery of the money. Unbeknownst to the McCarthy's, Lee had misappropriated a portion of the trust for the upkeep of the Stratford plantation, his ancestral home going back six generations. In order to conceal the misappropriation, Lee attempted to marry Elizabeth off to an unscrupulous suitor, without success. The legal fallout forced Lee to sell Stratford out of the family.
Anne Lee, who had become addicted to morphine while trying to dampen her grief, fled to Tennessee, where she often stayed with the future president, Andrew Jackson, and his wife. Henry Lee later followed, beseeching his wife to forgive him. That is how Lee befriended Jackson and began his political rehabilitation.