Thomas Lee (Virginia colonist)
Colonel Thomas Lee was a planter and politician in colonial Virginia, and a member of the Lee family, a political dynasty. Lee became involved in politics in 1710, serving in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly, and also held important positions as Naval Officer for the Northern Potomac Region and agent for the Northern Neck Proprietary. After his father died, Lee inherited thousands of acres of land as well as enslaved people in then-vast Northumberland and Stafford Counties in Virginia as well as across the Potomac River in Charles County, Maryland. These properties were developed as tobacco plantations. Northumberland County was later subdivided, so some of Lee's properties were in modern Fairfax, Fauquier, Prince William and Loudoun Counties as well as the counties in the modern Northern Neck of Virginia.
Thomas Lee (Virginia colonist)
Portrait of Lee's wife Hannah
Stratford Hall Plantation, built by Thomas Lee
The Lee family of the United States is a historically significant Virginia and Maryland political family, whose many prominent members are known for their accomplishments in politics and the military. The family became prominent in colonial British America when Richard Lee I immigrated to Colonial Virginia in 1639 and made his fortune in tobacco.
Colonel Richard Lee "the Founder" of the family in North America
Thomas Lee (1690–1750), Virginia colonist and cofounder of the Ohio Company.
Richard Henry Lee (1732–1794) was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence and served as the president of the Continental Congress.
General Henry Lee III, "Light Horse Harry," also served as Governor of Virginia, and was the father of Robert E. Lee. (portrait by William Edward West)