Charles Lee (Attorney General) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles Lee
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| 3rd United States Attorney General | |
| In office December 10, 1795 – March 4, 1801 |
|
| President | George Washington John Adams |
| Preceded by | William Bradford |
| Succeeded by | Levi Lincoln |
| United States Secretary of State Acting |
|
| In office May 13, 1800 – June 5, 1800 |
|
| President | John Adams |
| Preceded by | Timothy Pickering |
| Succeeded by | John Marshall |
| Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Fairfax County | |
| In office October 21, 1793 – November 7, 1796 Serving with Samuel Arell, Elisha C. Dick
|
|
| Preceded by | Charles Simms |
| Succeeded by | Charles Simms |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 1, 1758 Leesylvania, Virginia, British America |
| Died | June 24, 1815 (aged 57) Fauquier County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Federalist |
| Education | Princeton University (BA) |
Charles Lee (born January 1, 1758 – died June 24, 1815) was an American lawyer and politician from Virginia. He is best known for serving as the top lawyer for the United States government, called the United States Attorney General, from 1795 to 1801. During this time, he worked under Presidents George Washington and John Adams.
Lee also briefly served as the acting United States Secretary of State in 1800. Before his national roles, he was a prosecutor for the city of Alexandria. He also served as a representative in the Virginia House of Delegates for Fairfax County.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Charles Lee was born on January 1, 1758, at his family's Leesylvania plantation in Prince William County, Virginia. He was the third of eleven children born to Henry and Lucy Lee. His family was part of the First Families of Virginia, which were some of the earliest and most important families in the state.
His older brother was General Henry "Light-Horse Harry" Lee, a famous military leader. Another brother, Richard Bland Lee, became a member of Congress. Future President Zachary Taylor was also a distant cousin.
Charles Lee received a good private education, which was common for wealthy families at the time. In 1775, he went to the College of New Jersey, which is now known as Princeton University. After college, he studied law with a lawyer named Jared Ingersoll in Philadelphia. He then returned to Virginia to begin his law career.
When his father passed away in 1787, Charles was put in charge of his father's will and became the guardian for his three younger siblings. After his mother died in 1792, Charles inherited the Leesylvania plantation.
In 1789, Charles Lee married Anne Lee, who was his second cousin. They lived in Alexandria, Virginia, and had six children together. After Anne passed away in 1804, Charles remarried in 1809 to Margaret Scott Peyton. They had four more children.
Career as a Lawyer and Politician
After becoming a lawyer in Virginia, Charles Lee started his own law practice in Alexandria. His brothers, Richard Bland Lee and Edmund J. Lee, also practiced law there. Charles Lee was a very busy lawyer, even representing George Washington from 1785 until 1795.
He also held several local government jobs. He was the city prosecutor for Alexandria until 1794. He also worked as a tax collector for the Port of Alexandria and as a secretary for the Potomac Company, which was involved in river navigation.
The people of Fairfax County elected Charles Lee to represent them in the Virginia House of Delegates three times: in 1793, 1794, and 1795.
Serving the Nation
President George Washington chose Charles Lee to be the United States Attorney General after the previous Attorney General, William Bradford, passed away. Lee started this important job on December 10, 1795. He continued to serve as Attorney General even after Washington left office, staying on for almost the entire term of the next president, John Adams.
In 1801, President Adams nominated Lee to become a judge for one of the new circuit courts. The Senate approved his appointment, but the law that created these judgeships was later canceled, so Lee did not serve as a judge for long.
While working for the federal government, Charles Lee lived in Alexandria, which was then part of the capital district. He was elected to the Alexandria City Council in 1794. He believed that the southern part of the District of Columbia should be returned to Virginia, which eventually happened in 1847. In 1804, he was chosen to be the mayor of Alexandria, but he decided not to take the position.
After his time as Attorney General, Lee became one of the most well-known trial lawyers in Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. He took on many important cases. For example, he represented William Marbury in the famous case of Marbury v. Madison. This case helped establish the power of the Supreme Court to decide if laws are constitutional. Lee also defended former Vice President Aaron Burr in his famous trial for treason.
Death and Legacy
Charles Lee passed away on June 24, 1815, in Fauquier County, Virginia. He was 57 years old. He is buried in the Warrenton Cemetery in Warrenton.
Images for kids
-
Lee's grave in the Warrenton Cemetery
See also
In Spanish: Charles Lee (fiscal general) para niños
