Francis Lightfoot Lee (October 14, 1734 – January 11, 1797) was a Founding Father of the United States and a member of the House of Burgesses in the Colony of Virginia . As an active protester regarding issues such as the Stamp Act of 1765 , 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 Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation as a representative of Virginia . In addition to his career in politics, Lee owned a tobacco plantation as well as many slaves . He was a member of the Lee family , a prominent Virginian dynasty.
19-1018: Arthur Lee may refer to: Arthur Lee (diplomat) (1740–1792), US envoy to France Arthur Tracy Lee (1814–1879), U.S. Army Colonel, painter, and author Arthur Lee, 1st Viscount Lee of Fareham (1868–1947), British soldier and diplomat Arthur Lee (British Army officer) (1877–1954), British Army officer Arthur Lee (sculptor) (1881–1961), American sculptor Arthur Lee (RAF officer) (1894–1975), Royal Air Force Air Vice-Marshal Arthur Lee (cricketer, born 1913) (1913–1983), English cricketer and judge Arthur Lee (cricketer, born 1849) (1849–1925), English cricketer and clergyman Arthur Lee (musician) (1945–2006), American psychedelic-rock musician Art Lee (born 1947), Canadian politician and lawyer Arthur Lee (basketball) (born 1977), US-born European basketball player See also [ edit ] Arthur Li (born 1945), Hong Kong councillor Arthur Lees (disambiguation) Arthur Leigh (died 1638) of
38-829: A congressional representative of Virginia, he signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1768. Lee died of pleurisy at his residence (named " Menokin ") in Richmond County, Virginia , on January 11, 1797, following his wife's death four days prior. He is buried in the Tayloe family burial ground at Mount Airy Plantation , near Warsaw, Virginia . The World War II Liberty Ship SS Francis L. Lee
57-562: A delegate to the Continental Congress. Born at Stratford Hall , Virginia, Arthur Lee was the youngest son of Hon. Thomas Lee (1690–1750) and Hannah Harrison Ludwell (1701–1750). Three of his five surviving elder brothers, Richard Henry Lee (1732–1794), Francis Lightfoot Lee (1734–1797) and William Lee (1739–1795), also became Revolutionary-era diplomats. He attended Eton College in England and studied medicine at
76-542: A long friendship. They probably did not meet personally until sometime after 1780. Lee met Benjamin Franklin while he was in London, where Franklin was negotiating on behalf of Pennsylvania interests. Lee criticized Franklin's extravagant lifestyle and told Sam Adams he would never be a good negotiator between a free people and a tyrant. In May 1776, he was a guest at the dinner organized by publisher Charles Dilly that—at
95-599: A small waterfront town on Virginia's Middle Peninsula . It is presently a private residence. Lee died at Urbanna in 1792 and was buried in the rear garden with no stone. He never married and had no children. Plans to reinter him at Stratford Hall never came about. Lansdowne was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Arthur Lee was the son of Colonel Thomas Lee , Hon. (1690–1750) of Stratford Hall Plantation , Westmoreland County, Virginia . Thomas married Hannah Harrison Ludwell (1701–1750),
114-489: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Arthur Lee (diplomat) Arthur Lee (20 December 1740 – 12 December 1792) was an American physician, diplomat and abolitionist who was born in the British colony of Virginia . He helped negotiate and signed the 1778 Treaty of Alliance with France, along with Benjamin Franklin and Silas Deane , which allied France and
133-545: The University of Edinburgh , where he graduated in 1764. The title description of his thesis is: Dissertatio medica inauguralis, de cortice peruviano: quam ... ex auctoritate ... Gulielmi Robertson ... Academiae Edinburgenae praefecti ... pro gradu doctoratus ... eruditorum examini subjicit, Arthur Lee, Virginiensis. Ad diem septembris [1764] ... – Edinburgi : in aedibus A. Donaldson et J. Reid, MDCCLXIV. – 2 p. l., 47 p. ; 20 cm. on 13 May 1765 he matriculated at
152-697: The University of Leiden in the Netherlands. During the latter period, Lee wrote in 1764, "An Essay in Vindication of the Continental Colonies of America," one of his more noted works. He opposed the Townshend Acts and became a major proponent of American resistance to the British. After this work, he was granted membership to the American Philosophical Society through his election in 1768. He studied law in London, passing
171-566: The Leigh baronets All pages with titles containing Arthur Lee [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arthur_Lee&oldid=946681913 " Category : Human name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
190-544: The United States in fighting the war. Lee was educated in medicine and law at the University of Edinburgh and in London, respectively. After passing the bar, he practiced law in London for several years. He stayed in London during the Revolutionary War, representing the colonies to Britain and France and also serving as an American spy to track their activities. After his return to Virginia, he served as
209-470: The bar, and practising there from 1770 to 1776. During this time in London, Lee wrote many influential pamphlets and essays opposing slavery and British continental policies. He lived at Poland Street with Paul Wentworth (counsellor) for five years. In 1770, Lee in London was named as the Massachusetts correspondent to Britain and France. He began corresponding with Samuel Adams , which began
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#1732783383504228-507: The daughter of Colonel Philip Ludwell II (1672–1726) of Green Spring Plantation , and Hannah Harrison (1679–1731). Arthur's father, Thomas, was the son of Colonel Richard Lee II , Esq., known as "Richard the Scholar" (1647–1715) and Laetitia Corbin (c. 1657 – 1706). Richard Lee II, was the son of Col. Richard Lee I , Esq., known as "The Immigrant" (1618–1664) and Anne Constable (c. 1621 – 1666). Arthur's paternal grandmother, Laetitia,
247-721: The laws of Virginia. His namesake Francis Lightfoot Lee II was the son of his brother Richard Henry Lee , and men of the same name descend from him. 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
266-607: The region of Virginia between the Rappahannock River and the Chesapeake Bay (known as the Northern Neck ). 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
285-841: The urging of James Boswell —brought together Samuel Johnson , an ardent opponent of the American colonists' cause, and John Wilkes , one of its most prominent British supporters. During the American Revolution , the Continental Congress appointed Lee as its envoy to Spain and Prussia , but his success was at best mixed. In November 1775, the committee of secret correspondence of the Second Continental Congress asked Lee to become its confidential correspondent in London, where during his diplomatic career he frequently aired suspicions upon
304-641: The various men who had appointed him along with some of his colleges. Arguably Lee was one of America's first spies. He gathered information in France and Britain. He also successfully identified Edward Bancroft , secretary to the American legation in Paris, as a British spy. Later, in Paris, after Lee helped negotiate the Treaty of Alliance (1778) with France, he fell out with Benjamin Franklin and Silas Deane . He persuaded Congress to recall Deane to America, but he
323-653: Was himself recalled soon afterward. He earned a reputation of being overly suspicious where, Franklin, in a letter of April 3, 1778 chided him that if he let these feelings dominate his life that he would end up insane. After Lee returned to Virginia , the state in 1782 sent him as a delegate to the Continental Congress . The same year he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . In 1790, Arthur Lee purchased Lansdowne from Robert Wormeley III. This fine mansion still stands in Urbanna ,
342-535: Was the daughter of the Lees' neighbor and councillor (attorney), Hon. Henry Corbin, Sr. (1629–1676) and Alice (Eltonhead) Burnham (c. 1627 – 1684). Arthur's paternal great-grandmother, Anne, was the daughter of Thomas Constable; she became a ward of Sir John Thoroughgood. Francis Lightfoot Lee Lee was born on October 14, 1734, at Stratford Hall Plantation , in Westmoreland County, Virginia. Lee
361-632: Was the fourth son of Thomas Lee and Hannah Harrison Ludwell . His middle name "Lightfoot" came from Francis Lightfoot, the best man at his father's wedding. He was of English descent and was born into one of the First Families of Virginia . He grew up at Stratford Hall , a large tobacco plantation, which his father completed in 1738. He was educated at home, where Lee pursued classical studies under Dr. Craig. In 1772, Lee married his cousin, Rebecca Plater Tayloe. They were 2nd cousins, once removed. They had no children. Lee lived his entire life in
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