Richard Lee I | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Virginia Governor's Council | |
| In office 1651, 1660-1664 | |
| Member of the House of Burgesses representing York County | |
| In office 1647–1648 Serving with Francis Morgan, William Taylor | |
| Preceded by | Hugh Gwin |
| Succeeded by | Rowland Burnham |
| Attorney General for the Virginia colony | |
| In office 1643 – possibly 1651 | |
| Preceded by | n/a |
| Succeeded by | Peter Jenings |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1618 |
| Died | 1 March 1664 (aged 45–46) |
| Spouse | Anne Constable |
| Children | 10 (including Richard Lee II and Hancock Lee) |
| Parent(s) | John Lee I Jane Hancock |
| Relatives | Zachary Taylor (great-great-grandson) Robert E. Lee (great-great-great-grandson) |
| Occupation | Lawyer, Planter, Soldier, Politician |
Richard Lee I (c. 1618 – 1 March 1664) was an English-born merchant, planter and politician who was the first member of the Lee family to live in America. Poor when he arrived in the colony of Virginia in 1639, Lee may have been both the colony's wealthiest inhabitant and as its largest landholder by the time of his death, owning 15,000 acres (23 sq mi) in Virginia and Maryland. In addition to holding several important government and military posts, he became a merchant, planter and politician and served a term in the House of Burgesses. He managed to negotiate several major political upheavals for his economic gain.[1]
- ^ Paul C. Nagel, The Lees of Virginia (Oxford University Press, 1990 ISBN 0-19-505385-0) Chapter 1