Richard Henry Lee: Founding Revolutionary and Anti-Corruption Advocate

By Isodore Johnson -  Posted at OLL (Online Library of Liberty):

Richard Henry Lee was born at Stratford Hall in Westmoreland, Virginia, on January 20, 1732. At age 16, Lee moved to Yorkshire, England, for his formal education at Wakefield Academy. In 1750, when he was 18, both of Lee’s parents died; he returned to Virginia in 1752 to help his brothers divide the family’s estate.

Lee’s brother Philip was appointed to the House of Burgesses in 1755, and shortly after, in 1757, Richard Henry Lee was appointed Justice of the Peace for Westmoreland County. In 1758, after Philip Lee was appointed to the governor’s Council, Richard Henry Lee was elected to take his place in the House of Burgesses. He was joined by his brothers Thomas Ludwell Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee, making the Lees a formidable voting block.

Originally quite shy, Richard Henry Lee waited for a topic he cared strongly about to deliver his first speech. His first speech was in support of a motion to “lay so heavy a duty on slaves as effectually to put an end to that iniquitous and disgraceful traffic within the colony Virginia.” In 1769, as a member of the House of Burgesses, he introduced a bill to tax imported slaves. He repeatedly condemned slavery as an institution throughout his time in elected office. His moral sensibilities reflected not just an opposition to slavery, but also an opposition to corruption.

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See also:

• Richard Henry Lee (1732–1794) - Encyclopedia Virginia
• Lee Resolution: Primary Documents of American History (Virtual Programs & Services, Library of Congress) (loc.gov)
• Signers of the Declaration of Independence: Richard Henry Lee (ushistory.org)
• A Biography of Richard Henry Lee (1732-1794) < Biographies < American History From Revolution To Reconstruction and beyond (rug.nl)