Richard Bland Lee
Encyclopedia
Richard Bland Lee was a planter, jurist, and politician from Fairfax County, Virginia
. He was the son of Henry Lee II
(1730–1787) of “Leesylvania” and Lucy Grymes (1734–1792), as well as a younger brother of both Maj. Gen. Henry ("Light Horse Harry") Lee (1756–1818) and of Charles Lee
(1758–1815), Attorney General of the United States from 1795 to 1801, who served in both the Washington
and Adams
administrations.
and Lucy Grymes was born on January 20, 1761 at "Leesylvania"
, the estate built by his father on land overlooking the Potomac River in Prince William County, Virginia
. He was named after two distinguished relatives, his great-grandfather Richard Bland
of "Jordan's Point", and his great-uncle, jurist and statesman Richard Bland
, whom Thomas Jefferson called "the wisest man south of the James".
Possibly educated as a youth at "Chantilly", the home of his venerated cousin Richard Henry Lee
in Westmoreland County, Virginia
, Richard was enrolled at the College of William and Mary in 1779. Though not directly involved in the Revolutionary war as his brother Henry Lee III was, Richard nevertheless took an active interest in the American cause. In June of 1779 for example, Richard's uncle "Squire" Richard Lee
of Lee Hall introduced a resolution in the House of Delegates that would authorize the building of a new statehouse. Though only eighteen years of age, Richard Bland Lee, in a letter written later that month, rebuked his famous uncle, characterizing the effort as "abominable...[at a]...time of public danger when our expenses are already unsupportable." On June 17 of the next year Richard was admitted to the Phi Beta Kappa Society
, an academic organization through which he was able to refine his speaking skills. In December of that year, a British invasion fleet transporting newly minted British General Benedict Arnold
and his troops appeared off of Jamestown, prepared it seemed, to launch an advance upon Richmond. Phi Beta Kappa undertook to secure its papers against capture, and many of its members joined a hastily formed local militia company to offer at least some resistance to the expected invasion.
Richard Bland Lee may have been a part of this militia, or may have earlier returned to "Leesylvania" to "converse with his father about the future." Part of that future had apparently already been decided for him, as his father Henry Lee II had destined a part of his holdings on Cub Run to Richard, who it appears agreed to act on his father's behalf in managing this property sometime in 1780 or 1781. In 1787, he inherited 1500 acres (6.1 km²) of this holding from his father, land that would comprise the estate he would later name "Sully".
which he wholeheartedly supported. Following ratification he opposed efforts by Patrick Henry
and others to call a second constitutional convention to add a bill of rights, believing the new system should be given a chance to operate before wholesale alterations were made. He also believed that the new congress could be trusted to add the necessary amendments.
It was also during this term that the election of Virginia's first two United States Senators took place. Lee was a strong supporter of James Madison
's candidacy. Ultimately however, Madison was rejected by the Henry
led House of Delegates on the assumption that he would not push for addition of a bill of rights. A contention Lee worked hard to counteract. Following this rejection Lee continued to work on Madison's behalf in his congressional race, proposing publication of letters between Madison and other's "...as would counteract the report industriously circulated in the assembly and consequently in the state that you were opposed to every amendment to the new government, and in every mode..." Unwilling to risk publication of letters critical of others, Madison rejected this idea, but would nevertheless defeat future President James Monroe
in a hard fought contest.
In both of these debates Lee recognized the power of Patrick Henry's oratory, lamenting the weakness of opposition to him. In a letter from Lee to Madison he complains:
While Henry was ultimately able to get the Virginia legislature to pass the measure urging Congress to call a new constiutional convention, Congress refused to do so, instead passing the first ten amendments to the constitution that make up the Bill of Rights
.
In 1788, having served three years in the Virginia House of Delegates, Richard Bland Lee decided to stand for election to the new federal congress
established under the recently ratified constitution
. Though political parties had yet to form, ideological schisms were already developing by time of the first federal election. In general, those who were the strongest supporters of the constitution in the form adopted by the constitutional convention, including its provision for a strong executive with power tilted toward the federal government were identified as federalists, and those who were less supportive of a strong federal government, and who believed a bill of rights should have been included with the document prior to ratification, anti-federalists. Lee was identified with the former camp. He had strongly supported ratification of the constitution, opposed efforts to force a second constitutional convention for the purpose of adding a bill of rights, and was a strong supporter of George Washington
. His district which included his estate Sully, then part of Loudoun County (now Fairfax County), and included Fairfax County
, was the home of both Washington as well as future Anti-Federalist leader, George Mason
.
Lee eventually became the consensus candidate of the federalists, overcoming competition from like minded men including relative Ludwell Lee, William Fitzhugh
, Martin Pickett, as well as two friends - Leven Powell
and Dr. David Stuart
. Opposing him for the anti-federalists was state Senator John Pope. Though there is little primary material describing the tenor of this first election, what does exist hints at a hard fought and sometimes dirty campaign. John Pope was called "contemptible" in a letter from John Murray to Horatio Gates
, and William Allason writing to John Woodcock described the contest: "I understand one makes very free with the other's Reputation &c by wch. I would not be surprised to hear of their having Exchanged a few dry blows." Lee eventually outpolled Pope, defeating him nearly 4 to 1 in Fairfax County alone, which included the vote of George Washington.
On March 3, 1789 Richard Bland Lee began service as the first representative of Northern Virginia in the United States House of Representatives
. He served three terms as a Pro-Administration (federalist) member of congress from 1789 to 1795. He was a party to the Compromise of 1790
by which in exchange for support of southern delegates for federal assumption of state Revolutionary War debt, northern delegates voted to move the Federal City to a location in the south. His participation in this compromise, as well as his adherence to federalist principles proved to be his downfall. He narrowly fended off a challenge from his more famous relative Arthur Lee
in 1792, and finally lost his seat to Richard Brent
in the election of 1794. Following this defeat, Richard was returned to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1795, and again from 1799 to 1806.
and Tench Ringgold
, was appointed by longtime friend President James Madison
as one of three Commissioners to superintend the reconstruction of the Federal buildings damaged by British troops
in the attack on Washington DC on August 24, 1814 during the War of 1812
. Following expiration of this commission in 1816 President Madison intended to nominate Lee to the new position of "Commissioner of Public Buildings". However, after learning the Senate would not confirm any of the three members of the previous commission because of their perceived ill treatment of Benjamin Latrobe who had been appointed Architect of the Capitol
in order to aid in its reconstruction, Richard was instead appointed by President Madison as a commissioner to adjudicate claims arising out of the loss or destruction of property during the War of 1812. Lee occupied this position for two contentious years, during which his decisions came in for harsh criticism by Congress. John Randolph
of Virginia accused Lee of "malfeasance," and congress finally appointed a "Committe of Claims" to look into the operation of Lee's office. While Lee himself was exonerated of any corruption, the committee noted that many "claimants had perpetrated an extensive ‘system of fraud, forgery, and perhaps perjury." With his power severely curtailed, Lee, despondent over his treatment, left his position and for a short time seriously considered moving his family to Kentucky. Realizing his prospects would be limited there, and that his wife opposed the move, he decided to stay in Washington DC. In 1819 he was appointed by President Monroe as a judge of the Orphans’ Court of the District of Columbia, a position he held until his death on March 12, 1827.
, who counted among their members former presidents Andrew Jackson
and John Quincy Adams
and many prominent men of the day, including well-known representatives of the military, government service, medical and other professions.
bequeathed 3000 acres (12.1 km²) of his Cub Run estates to be equally divided between his sons Richard Bland and Theodorick. Being the older of the two, Richard was given the more alluvial northern half, on which he already resided, having lived there as manager of the estate since approximately 1781. After his election to Congress, and for most of the next five years, Richard turned day to day management of his estate over to his brother Theodorick, who supervised spring planting, fall harvest, collection of rent from tenant farmers, and the construction of the large house Richard had planned for the estate on which construction had begun in 1794. Before he left for Congress in 1789, Richard had chosen a name for his estate, Sully. The exact origin of the name is unknown, though Robert S. Gamble in Sully: Biography of a House speculates that Sully was named after "Chateau de Sully"
in the Valley of Loire in France. According to Gamble, "if he turned to a specific source, it was doubtless the Memoires of Maximilien de Bethune
, Duke of Sully and France's Minister of Finance under Henry IV." This work was well known among wealthy Virginians in the late 18th century.
Upon his defeat for reelection to Congress, Richard returned to "Sully" and took over primary operation of his estate. Determined to steer clear of the untenable practices characteristic of the tobacco monoculture
which predominated in Virginia, Richard, like George Washington
whom he idolized, applied modern methods of farming designed to diversify production and to halt depletion of the soil. To the end he switched to growing staple crops - wheat, rye, barley, corn and timothy, fruit trees - apple to produce cider, and peach for the making of peach brandy. He planted clover to help replenish the soil and he "tried crop rotation and the application of nutrients, especially crushed limestone, to fields where productivity was decreasing." During this period he either abandoned or severely limited the growing of tobacco at "Sully." He planted large vegetable gardens and in 1801 Richard built a dairy house constructed with red Seneca stone
.
Construction on the large house was begun in 1794 and completed in 1795. It is a "Federal
"- or "Georgian
"-style home of two and a half stories. He erected a -story addition in 1799 coincident with the wedding of Portia Lee who, along with her sister Cornelia Lee had come to live with Richard and Elizabeth Lee under their guardianship. Driven into significant debt trying to aid his brothers Maj. Gen. Henry ("Light Horse Harry") Lee and Charles Lee
extricate themselves from severe financial difficulties, Richard sold "Sully" in 1811 to a cousin, Francis Lightfoot Lee (1782–1858). Richard Bland and Elizabeth Lee initially moved to a home in Alexandria, then to a country home called Strawberry Vale
near Scott's Run http://gfhs.org/oral_hists/rambler_12-31-16.htm (current site of Tysons Corner
), and finally to the historic Thomas Law House
at Sixth and N Streets, Southwest in Washington, DC.
Francis Lightfoot Lee's 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. Samuel Phillips and Elizabeth (Blair) Lee's townhouse on Pennsylvania Avenue combined with the adjacent Blair House is now the Presidents' guest house
.
"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.
.
and was buried in the Congressional Cemetery
there in 1827. In 1975 he was reinterred at his home, the Sully Plantation near Chantilly, Virginia
. His home is now open to visitors as a county park. www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/sully
(1730–1787) of “Leesylvania” and, Lucy Grymes (1734–1792).
Lucy Grymes Lee was the daughter of Hon. Charles Grymes (1693–1743) and Frances Jennings.
Henry Lee 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 Bland Lee was the daughter of Hon. Richard Bland, Sr. (1665–1720) and his second wife, Elizabeth Randolph (1685–1719).
Henry Lee I, was the son of Col. Richard Lee II
, Esq., “the scholar” (1647–1715) and Laetitia Corbin (c. 1657–1706).
Laetitia Corbin Lee was the daughter of Richard’s neighbor and, Councillor, Hon. Henry Corbin, Sr. (1629–1676) and Alice (Eltonhead) Burnham (c. 1627–1684).
Richard Lee II, was the son of Col. Richard Lee I
, Esq., "the immigrant" (1618–1664) and Anne Constable (c. 1621–1666).
Anne Constable Lee was the daughter of Thomas Constable and a ward of Sir John Thoroughgood.
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...
. He was the son of Henry Lee II
Henry Lee II
Henry Lee II of “Leesylvania”, Prince William County, Virginia was the father of Henry "Light-Horse Harry" Lee III and grandfather of Robert E. Lee....
(1730–1787) of “Leesylvania” and Lucy Grymes (1734–1792), as well as a younger brother of both Maj. Gen. Henry ("Light Horse Harry") Lee (1756–1818) and of Charles Lee
Charles Lee (Attorney General)
Charles Lee was an American lawyer from Virginia. He served as United States Attorney General from 1795 until 1801....
(1758–1815), Attorney General of the United States from 1795 to 1801, who served in both the Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
and Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
administrations.
Early life and education
Richard Bland Lee the third son of Henry Lee IIHenry Lee II
Henry Lee II of “Leesylvania”, Prince William County, Virginia was the father of Henry "Light-Horse Harry" Lee III and grandfather of Robert E. Lee....
and Lucy Grymes was born on January 20, 1761 at "Leesylvania"
Leesylvania State Park
Leesylvania State Park is located in the southeastern part of Prince William County, Virginia. The land was donated in 1978 by philanthropist Daniel K. Ludwig.-History:...
, the estate built by his father on land overlooking the Potomac River in Prince William County, Virginia
Prince William County, Virginia
-National protected areas:* Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge* Manassas National Battlefield Park* Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge* Prince William Forest Park-Government and politics:...
. He was named after two distinguished relatives, his great-grandfather Richard Bland
Richard Bland (burgess)
Richard Bland , sometimes known as Richard Bland of Jordan's Point, was a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses, the father of Richard Bland, the son of Theodorick Bland of Westover, and the grandson of Richard Bennett, an English Governor of the Colony of Virginia...
of "Jordan's Point", and his great-uncle, jurist and statesman Richard Bland
Richard Bland
Richard Bland , sometimes referred to as Richard Bland II or Richard Bland of Jordan's Point, was an American planter and statesman from Virginia...
, whom Thomas Jefferson called "the wisest man south of the James".
Possibly educated as a youth at "Chantilly", the home of his venerated cousin 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...
in Westmoreland County, Virginia
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...
, Richard was enrolled at the College of William and Mary in 1779. Though not directly involved in the Revolutionary war as his brother Henry Lee III was, Richard nevertheless took an active interest in the American cause. In June of 1779 for example, Richard's uncle "Squire" Richard Lee
Richard "Squire" Lee
Richard Lee , known most commonly as "Squire", was a prominent Virginian colonist, and American politician, who was active in the American Revolutionary War.-Family:...
of Lee Hall introduced a resolution in the House of Delegates that would authorize the building of a new statehouse. Though only eighteen years of age, Richard Bland Lee, in a letter written later that month, rebuked his famous uncle, characterizing the effort as "abominable...[at a]...time of public danger when our expenses are already unsupportable." On June 17 of the next year Richard was admitted to the Phi Beta Kappa Society
Phi Beta Kappa Society
The Phi Beta Kappa Society is an academic honor society. Its mission is to "celebrate and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences"; and induct "the most outstanding students of arts and sciences at America’s leading colleges and universities." Founded at The College of William and...
, an academic organization through which he was able to refine his speaking skills. In December of that year, a British invasion fleet transporting newly minted British General Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold V was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the British Army. While a general on the American side, he obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted to surrender it to the British forces...
and his troops appeared off of Jamestown, prepared it seemed, to launch an advance upon Richmond. Phi Beta Kappa undertook to secure its papers against capture, and many of its members joined a hastily formed local militia company to offer at least some resistance to the expected invasion.
Richard Bland Lee may have been a part of this militia, or may have earlier returned to "Leesylvania" to "converse with his father about the future." Part of that future had apparently already been decided for him, as his father Henry Lee II had destined a part of his holdings on Cub Run to Richard, who it appears agreed to act on his father's behalf in managing this property sometime in 1780 or 1781. In 1787, he inherited 1500 acres (6.1 km²) of this holding from his father, land that would comprise the estate he would later name "Sully".
Virginia House of Delegates
Richard served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1784 to 1788, 1796, and again from 1799 to 1806. During his second term in the state legislature he was involved in debates surrounding the ratification of the United States ConstitutionUnited States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
which he wholeheartedly supported. Following ratification he opposed efforts by Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry was an orator and politician who led the movement for independence in Virginia in the 1770s. A Founding Father, he served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia from 1776 to 1779 and subsequently, from 1784 to 1786...
and others to call a second constitutional convention to add a bill of rights, believing the new system should be given a chance to operate before wholesale alterations were made. He also believed that the new congress could be trusted to add the necessary amendments.
James Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
's candidacy. Ultimately however, Madison was rejected by the Henry
Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry was an orator and politician who led the movement for independence in Virginia in the 1770s. A Founding Father, he served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia from 1776 to 1779 and subsequently, from 1784 to 1786...
led House of Delegates on the assumption that he would not push for addition of a bill of rights. A contention Lee worked hard to counteract. Following this rejection Lee continued to work on Madison's behalf in his congressional race, proposing publication of letters between Madison and other's "...as would counteract the report industriously circulated in the assembly and consequently in the state that you were opposed to every amendment to the new government, and in every mode..." Unwilling to risk publication of letters critical of others, Madison rejected this idea, but would nevertheless defeat future President James Monroe
James Monroe
James Monroe was the fifth President of the United States . Monroe was the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation...
in a hard fought contest.
In both of these debates Lee recognized the power of Patrick Henry's oratory, lamenting the weakness of opposition to him. In a letter from Lee to Madison he complains:
“Our Assembly is weak. Mr. [Patrick] Henry is the only orator we have against us and the friends to the new government being all young and inexperienced, form a feeble bond against him”
While Henry was ultimately able to get the Virginia legislature to pass the measure urging Congress to call a new constiutional convention, Congress refused to do so, instead passing the first ten amendments to the constitution that make up the Bill of Rights
United States Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights is the collective name for the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. These limitations serve to protect the natural rights of liberty and property. They guarantee a number of personal freedoms, limit the government's power in judicial and other proceedings, and...
.
United States Congress
"I went up to the Election of a Representative to Congress for this district. [V]oted for Richd. Bland Lee Esqr." – George Washington
In 1788, having served three years in the Virginia House of Delegates, Richard Bland Lee decided to stand for election to the new federal congress
1st United States Congress
-House of Representatives:During this congress, five House seats were added for North Carolina and one House seat was added for Rhode Island when they ratified the Constitution.-Senate:* President: John Adams * President pro tempore: John Langdon...
established under the recently ratified constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
. Though political parties had yet to form, ideological schisms were already developing by time of the first federal election. In general, those who were the strongest supporters of the constitution in the form adopted by the constitutional convention, including its provision for a strong executive with power tilted toward the federal government were identified as federalists, and those who were less supportive of a strong federal government, and who believed a bill of rights should have been included with the document prior to ratification, anti-federalists. Lee was identified with the former camp. He had strongly supported ratification of the constitution, opposed efforts to force a second constitutional convention for the purpose of adding a bill of rights, and was a strong supporter of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
. His district which included his estate Sully, then part of Loudoun County (now Fairfax County), and included Fairfax County
Fairfax County, Virginia
Fairfax County is a county in Virginia, in the United States. Per the 2010 Census, the population of the county is 1,081,726, making it the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with 13.5% of Virginia's population...
, was the home of both Washington as well as future Anti-Federalist leader, George Mason
George Mason
George Mason IV was an American Patriot, statesman and a delegate from Virginia to the U.S. Constitutional Convention...
.
Lee eventually became the consensus candidate of the federalists, overcoming competition from like minded men including relative Ludwell Lee, William Fitzhugh
William Fitzhugh
William Fitzhugh was an American planter and statesman who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress for Virginia in 1779. -Life:...
, Martin Pickett, as well as two friends - Leven Powell
Leven Powell
Leven Powell, also Levin, was a United States Representative from Virginia. He was born near Manassas in Prince William County, Virginia. He studied in private schools. He was deputy sheriff of Prince William County, Virginia, before he moved to Loudoun County in 1763, where he engaged in...
and Dr. David Stuart
David Stuart (Virginia)
David Stuart was an associate and correspondent of George Washington. When Washington became President of the United States, he appointed Stuart to be one of the three commissioners that were in charge of siting and designing the nation's new capital city.-Private life:Born in Scotland, Stuart...
. Opposing him for the anti-federalists was state Senator John Pope. Though there is little primary material describing the tenor of this first election, what does exist hints at a hard fought and sometimes dirty campaign. John Pope was called "contemptible" in a letter from John Murray to Horatio Gates
Horatio Gates
Horatio Lloyd Gates was a retired British soldier who served as an American general during the Revolutionary War. He took credit for the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga – Benedict Arnold, who led the attack, was finally forced from the field when he was shot in the leg – and...
, and William Allason writing to John Woodcock described the contest: "I understand one makes very free with the other's Reputation &c by wch. I would not be surprised to hear of their having Exchanged a few dry blows." Lee eventually outpolled Pope, defeating him nearly 4 to 1 in Fairfax County alone, which included the vote of George Washington.
On March 3, 1789 Richard Bland Lee began service as the first representative of Northern Virginia in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. He served three terms as a Pro-Administration (federalist) member of congress from 1789 to 1795. He was a party to the Compromise of 1790
Compromise of 1790
The Compromise of 1790 was the first of three great political compromises made in the United States by the Northern and Southern states, occurring every thirty years, in an attempt to keep the Union together and prevent civil war...
by which in exchange for support of southern delegates for federal assumption of state Revolutionary War debt, northern delegates voted to move the Federal City to a location in the south. His participation in this compromise, as well as his adherence to federalist principles proved to be his downfall. He narrowly fended off a challenge from his more famous relative 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...
in 1792, and finally lost his seat to Richard Brent
Richard Brent (Virginia)
Richard Brent was an American planter, lawyer, and politician from Stafford County, Virginia. He represented Virginia in both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate.-External links:*...
in the election of 1794. Following this defeat, Richard was returned to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1795, and again from 1799 to 1806.
Other Government Service
Following his removal from "Sully" to Washington, DC in 1815, Richard, along with John Peter Van NessJohn Peter Van Ness
John Peter Van Ness was a United States Representative from New York. Born in Ghent, New York to an old Dutch family. He completed preparatory studies at Washington Seminary and attended Columbia College in New York City...
and Tench Ringgold
Tench Ringgold
Tench Ringgold was a U.S. marshal of the District of Columbia; he was appointed by President James Monroe and served in the position through the first two years of the administration of Andrew Jackson. Ringgold was from a prominent early-American family that came to America in the early seventeenth...
, was appointed by longtime friend President James Madison
James Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
as one of three Commissioners to superintend the reconstruction of the Federal buildings damaged by British troops
Burning of Washington
The Burning of Washington was an armed conflict during the War of 1812 between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the United States of America. On August 24, 1814, led by General Robert Ross, a British force occupied Washington, D.C. and set fire to many public buildings following...
in the attack on Washington DC on August 24, 1814 during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. Following expiration of this commission in 1816 President Madison intended to nominate Lee to the new position of "Commissioner of Public Buildings". However, after learning the Senate would not confirm any of the three members of the previous commission because of their perceived ill treatment of Benjamin Latrobe who had been appointed Architect of the Capitol
Architect of the Capitol
The Architect of the Capitol is the federal agency responsible for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of the United States Capitol Complex, and also the head of that agency. The Architect of the Capitol is in the legislative branch and is responsible to the United States...
in order to aid in its reconstruction, Richard was instead appointed by President Madison as a commissioner to adjudicate claims arising out of the loss or destruction of property during the War of 1812. Lee occupied this position for two contentious years, during which his decisions came in for harsh criticism by Congress. John Randolph
John Randolph of Roanoke
John Randolph , known as John Randolph of Roanoke, was a planter and a Congressman from Virginia, serving in the House of Representatives , the Senate , and also as Minister to Russia...
of Virginia accused Lee of "malfeasance," and congress finally appointed a "Committe of Claims" to look into the operation of Lee's office. While Lee himself was exonerated of any corruption, the committee noted that many "claimants had perpetrated an extensive ‘system of fraud, forgery, and perhaps perjury." With his power severely curtailed, Lee, despondent over his treatment, left his position and for a short time seriously considered moving his family to Kentucky. Realizing his prospects would be limited there, and that his wife opposed the move, he decided to stay in Washington DC. In 1819 he was appointed by President Monroe as a judge of the Orphans’ Court of the District of Columbia, a position he held until his death on March 12, 1827.
Societies
During the 1820's, Lee was a member of the prestigious society, Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and SciencesColumbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences
The Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences was a literary and science institution in Washington, D.C., founded by Dr. Edward Cutbush , a naval surgeon...
, who counted among their members former presidents 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...
and John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
and many prominent men of the day, including well-known representatives of the military, government service, medical and other professions.
Planter
Upon his death in 1787, Henry Lee IIHenry Lee II
Henry Lee II of “Leesylvania”, Prince William County, Virginia was the father of Henry "Light-Horse Harry" Lee III and grandfather of Robert E. Lee....
bequeathed 3000 acres (12.1 km²) of his Cub Run estates to be equally divided between his sons Richard Bland and Theodorick. Being the older of the two, Richard was given the more alluvial northern half, on which he already resided, having lived there as manager of the estate since approximately 1781. After his election to Congress, and for most of the next five years, Richard turned day to day management of his estate over to his brother Theodorick, who supervised spring planting, fall harvest, collection of rent from tenant farmers, and the construction of the large house Richard had planned for the estate on which construction had begun in 1794. Before he left for Congress in 1789, Richard had chosen a name for his estate, Sully. The exact origin of the name is unknown, though Robert S. Gamble in Sully: Biography of a House speculates that Sully was named after "Chateau de Sully"
Sully-sur-Loire
Sully-sur-Loire is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France.-Castle:The château of Sully-sur-Loire dates from the end of the 14th century and is a prime example of medieval fortress. It was built at a strategic crossing of the Loire river...
in the Valley of Loire in France. According to Gamble, "if he turned to a specific source, it was doubtless the Memoires of Maximilien de Bethune
Maximilien de Béthune, duc de Sully
Maximilien de Béthune, first Duke of Sully was the doughty soldier, French minister, staunch Huguenot and faithful right-hand man who assisted Henry IV of France in the rule of France.-Early years:...
, Duke of Sully and France's Minister of Finance under Henry IV." This work was well known among wealthy Virginians in the late 18th century.
Upon his defeat for reelection to Congress, Richard returned to "Sully" and took over primary operation of his estate. Determined to steer clear of the untenable practices characteristic of the tobacco monoculture
Monoculture
Monoculture is the agricultural practice of producing or growing one single crop over a wide area. It is also known as a way of farming practice of growing large stands of a single species. It is widely used in modern industrial agriculture and its implementation has allowed for large harvests from...
which predominated in Virginia, Richard, like George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
whom he idolized, applied modern methods of farming designed to diversify production and to halt depletion of the soil. To the end he switched to growing staple crops - wheat, rye, barley, corn and timothy, fruit trees - apple to produce cider, and peach for the making of peach brandy. He planted clover to help replenish the soil and he "tried crop rotation and the application of nutrients, especially crushed limestone, to fields where productivity was decreasing." During this period he either abandoned or severely limited the growing of tobacco at "Sully." He planted large vegetable gardens and in 1801 Richard built a dairy house constructed with red Seneca stone
Seneca Quarry
The Seneca Quarry is a historic site located at Seneca, Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the east bank of the Potomac River...
.
Construction on the large house was begun in 1794 and completed in 1795. It is a "Federal
Federal architecture
Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the United States between c. 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815. This style shares its name with its era, the Federal Period. The name Federal style is also used in association with furniture design...
"- or "Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
"-style home of two and a half stories. He erected a -story addition in 1799 coincident with the wedding of Portia Lee who, along with her sister Cornelia Lee had come to live with Richard and Elizabeth Lee under their guardianship. Driven into significant debt trying to aid his brothers Maj. Gen. Henry ("Light Horse Harry") Lee and Charles Lee
Charles Lee (Attorney General)
Charles Lee was an American lawyer from Virginia. He served as United States Attorney General from 1795 until 1801....
extricate themselves from severe financial difficulties, Richard sold "Sully" in 1811 to a cousin, Francis Lightfoot Lee (1782–1858). Richard Bland and Elizabeth Lee initially moved to a home in Alexandria, then to a country home called Strawberry Vale
Strawberry Vale Manor
Strawberry Vale Manor was built in about 1780 on land that later became part of Tysons Corner, Virginia, United States. It was located about 200 yards from Virginia State Highway 123 just west of the Capital Beltway. Prior to 1811, the residence was owned by John C...
near Scott's Run http://gfhs.org/oral_hists/rambler_12-31-16.htm (current site of Tysons Corner
Tysons Corner, Virginia
Tysons Corner is an unincorporated census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Part of the Washington Metropolitan Area located in Northern Virginia, Tysons Corner lies between the community of McLean and the town of Vienna along the Capital Beltway . The population was...
), and finally to the historic Thomas Law House
Thomas Law House
The Thomas Law House was built in 1796 near present day 6th and N Streets, Southwest in Washington, D.C. Originally inhabited by Thomas Law and Elizabeth Parke Custis, oldest granddaughter of Martha Washington....
at Sixth and N Streets, Southwest in Washington, DC.
Francis Lightfoot Lee's son, Rear Admiral Samuel Phillips Lee
Samuel Phillips Lee
Samuel Phillips Lee was a Rear Admiral of the United States Navy. He commanded the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron from 4 September 1862 to 12 October 1864. His flagship was Philadelphia.-Life and career:...
(1812–1897), married Elizabeth Blair, daughter of Francis Preston Blair
Francis Preston Blair
Francis Preston Blair, Sr. was an American journalist and politician.-Biography:Blair was born at Abingdon, Virginia. He moved to Kentucky, graduated from Transylvania University in 1811, took to journalism, and was a contributor to Amos Kendall's paper, the Argus, at Frankfort...
(1791–1876), a member of President Jackson's "Kitchen Cabinet
Kitchen Cabinet
The Kitchen Cabinet was a term used by political opponents of President of the United States Andrew Jackson to describe the collection of unofficial advisers he consulted in parallel to the United States Cabinet following his purge of the cabinet at the end of the Eaton affair and his break with...
", and Eliza Violet Gist. Samuel Phillips and Elizabeth (Blair) Lee's townhouse on Pennsylvania Avenue combined with the adjacent Blair House is now the Presidents' guest house
Blair House
Blair House is the official state guest house for the President of the United States. It is located at 1651-1653 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., opposite the Old Executive Office Building of the White House, off the corner of Lafayette Park....
.
"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.
Marriage
Richard married Elizabeth Collins (c. 1768–1858) in 1794, at her parent's home in Germantown, PA. Elizabeth was the daughter of Philadelphia Quaker merchant Stephen Collins and Mary Parrish, and the sister of Zaccheus Collins, a prominent botanist. Her lifelong friend was Dolley Payne Todd MadisonDolley Madison
Dolley Payne Todd Madison was the spouse of the fourth President of the United States, James Madison, and was First Lady of the United States from 1809 to 1817...
.
Death
Richard died in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and was buried in the Congressional Cemetery
Congressional Cemetery
The Congressional Cemetery is a historic cemetery located at 1801 E Street, SE, in Washington, D.C., on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the final resting place of thousands of individuals who helped form the nation and the city of Washington in the early 19th century. Many members of...
there in 1827. In 1975 he was reinterred at his home, the Sully Plantation near Chantilly, Virginia
Chantilly, Virginia
Chantilly is an unincorporated community located in western Fairfax County and southeastern Loudoun County of Northern Virginia. Recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census designated place , the community population was 23,039 as of the 2010 census -- down from 41,041 in 2000, due to the...
. His home is now open to visitors as a county park. www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/sully
Children
- Mary Ann Lee born May 11, 1795, died June 21, 1796 of dysentery. Buried at Sully in unmarked grave.
- Col. Richard Bland Lee II born July 20, 1797, died August 2, 1875. Married Julia Anna Marion Prosser (1806–1882), daughter of John Prosser and Mary "Polly" Poole.Both buried at Ivy Hill Cemetery, Alexandria, Va.
- Ann Matilda Lee born July 13, 1799, died December 20, 1880. Married Dr. Baily Washington III (1787–1854).
- Mary Collins Lee born May 6, 1801, died February 22, 1805. Buried at Sully in unmarked grave.
- Laura Lee born May 10, 1803, died in infancy
- Cornelia Lee born March 20, 1804, died December 26, 1876). Married Dr. James W. F. Marcrae.
- Hon. Zaccheus Collins LeeZaccheus Collins LeeZaccheus Collins Lee was an American politician, who served as U.S. District Attorney.-Family, Marriage & Children:...
born December 5, 1805, died November 1859 in Baltimore, MD; Served as U.S. District AttorneyUnited States AttorneyUnited States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
from 1848 to 1855. Married Martha Jenkins. - Male Infant born April 15, 1807, died April 15, 1807
- Male Infant stillborn June 11, 1809
Ancestry
Richard Bland Lee was the son of Henry Lee IIHenry Lee II
Henry Lee II of “Leesylvania”, Prince William County, Virginia was the father of Henry "Light-Horse Harry" Lee III and grandfather of Robert E. Lee....
(1730–1787) of “Leesylvania” and, Lucy Grymes (1734–1792).
Lucy Grymes Lee was the daughter of Hon. Charles Grymes (1693–1743) and Frances Jennings.
Henry Lee II, was the third son of Capt. Henry Lee I
Henry Lee I
Capt. Henry Lee I was a prominent Virginian colonist, brother of Governor Thomas Lee, and grandfather of Revolutionary War hero Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee....
(1691–1747) of “Lee Hall
Lee Hall
Lee Hall may refer to:People:* Lee Hall , US lawyer and animal rights activist* Lee Hall , English playwright and screenwriter* Lee Hall , news anchor for WEEK-TV in Peoria, Illinois...
”, Westmoreland County, and his wife, Mary Bland (1704–1764).
Mary Bland Lee was the daughter of Hon. Richard Bland, Sr. (1665–1720) and his second wife, Elizabeth Randolph (1685–1719).
Henry Lee I, was the son of Col. Richard Lee II
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...
, Esq., “the scholar” (1647–1715) and Laetitia Corbin (c. 1657–1706).
Laetitia Corbin Lee was the daughter of Richard’s neighbor and, Councillor, Hon. Henry Corbin, Sr. (1629–1676) and Alice (Eltonhead) Burnham (c. 1627–1684).
Richard Lee II, was the son 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...
, Esq., "the immigrant" (1618–1664) and Anne Constable (c. 1621–1666).
Anne Constable Lee was the daughter of Thomas Constable and a ward of Sir John Thoroughgood.