Lee, Francis Lightfoot, 1734-1797

<ul><b>RACES</b>
<li>03/18/1793 VA District 19 Lost 0.72% (-49.10%)</li>
<li>12/31/1778 VA Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>12/31/1777 VA Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>12/31/1776 VA Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>12/31/1775 VA Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
<li>12/31/1774 VA Continental Congress Won 100.00% (+100.00%)</li>
</ul>

Francis Lightfoot Lee (brother of R.H. Lee) was born in Westmoreland, Virginia, on the fourteenth of October, 1734. He was educated at home by Doctor Craig, in the manner of an enlightened country gentleman. In 1765 he was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses, where he served until 1775. He was a noted radical, on the side of Patrick Henry in opposing the Stamp Act. He Joined the group who called for a general congress and a Virginia Convention in 1774. He attended that convention and that year was sent to the first Continental Congress. He represented his state there until 1779, working on numerous committees. He retired from the Congress in 1779 and returned to his home. He served for a while in the Virginia Senate and then retired to private life. He died in 1797.

<p>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 Articles of Confederation and the Declaration of Independence 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 whose members accumulated their wealth and power through plantation slavery.</p>

<p>Lee was born on October 14, 1734, at a Lee family home at Machadoc, later known as Burnt House Field, in Hague, Westmoreland County, Virginia. Lee was the fourth son of Thomas Lee and Hannah Harrison Ludwell (of the nearby Green Spring Plantation). 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.</p>

<p>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 the region of Virginia between the Rappahannock River and the Chesapeake Bay (known as the Northern Neck).</p>