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Lee Arthur

Name:
Arthur Lee
Rank:
Diplomat
Serial Number:
Unit:
Date of Death:
1792-12-12
State:
Cemetery:
Lee Family Cemetery, Urbanna, Middlesex County, Virginia, USA
Plot:
Row:
Grave:
Decoration:
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Arthur Lee was born on December 20, 1740, in Westmoreland County, Virginia. He was the son of Thomas Lee and Hannah Harrison Ludwell Lee. He was an American physician, diplomat, abolitionist, and Revolutionary War figure. Educated in medicine at the University of Edinburgh and law in London, he practiced law in London while advocating for American independence through writings and diplomatic efforts.

Lee was an envoy for the Continental Congress to Britain, France, Spain, and Prussia, serving as a spy and identifying British infiltrators, including Edward Bancroft. He helped negotiate the pivotal 1778 Treaty of Alliance with France but clashed with colleagues Benjamin Franklin and Silas Deane, leading to his recall.

Returning to Virginia, he served in the Continental Congress and was later involved in state politics. Though unsuccessful in bids for Congress and the U.S. Senate, he remained influential. He purchased and lived at Lansdowne, a historic mansion in Urbanna, Virginia, where he died on December 12, 1792. Lee was buried without a marker. Lansdowne was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

Source of information: en.wikipedia.org