Richard Henry Lee | |
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President pro tempore of the United States Senate | |
In office April 18, 1792 – October 8, 1792 | |
Preceded by | John Langdon |
Succeeded by | John Langdon |
United States Senator from Virginia | |
In office March 4, 1789 – October 8, 1792 | |
Preceded by | Inaugural Holder |
Succeeded by | John Taylor |
4th President of the Congress of the Confederation | |
In office November 30, 1784 – November 4, 1785 | |
Preceded by | Thomas Mifflin |
Succeeded by | John Hancock |
Delegate to the Congress of the Confederation from Virginia | |
In office November 1, 1784 – October 30, 1787 | |
Member of the Virginia House of Burgesses from Westmoreland County | |
In office September 14, 1758 – May 6, 1776 | |
Preceded by | Augustine Washington Jr. |
Succeeded by | Position abolished |
Personal details | |
Born | Stratford Hall, Westmoreland County, Colony of Virginia, British America | January 20, 1732
Died | June 19, 1794 Chantilly Plantation, Westmoreland County, Virginia, U.S. | (aged 62)
Resting place | Burnt House Fields, Lee Family Estate, Coles Point, Westmoreland County, Virginia |
Political party | Anti-Administration |
Spouse(s) | Anne Aylett (died 1768) Anne (Gaskins) Pinckard |
Children | 13, including Ludwell |
Parent(s) | Thomas Lee Hannah Harrison Ludwell |
Profession | Law |
Signature | ![]() |
Richard Henry Lee (January 20, 1732 – June 19, 1794) was an American statesman and Founding Father from Virginia,[1] best known for the June 1776 Lee Resolution, the motion in the Second Continental Congress calling for the colonies' independence from Great Britain leading to the United States Declaration of Independence, which he signed. Lee also served a one-year term as the president of the Continental Congress, proposed and was a signatory to the Continental Association, signed the Articles of Confederation, and was a United States Senator from Virginia from 1789 to 1792, serving part of that time as the second president pro tempore of the upper house.
He was a member of the Lee family, a historically influential family in Virginia politics.