Charles Lee

Charles Lee was an American lawyer and public official who served as the United States Attorney General from 1795 to 1801, a period that spanned the administrations of Presidents George Washington and John Adams. Born into a prominent Virginia family in 1758, Lee pursued legal studies in New Jersey and Philadelphia before returning home to practice law in Alexandria, then part of the District of Columbia. His career combined private practice with a series of appointed and elected positions at both local and federal levels, culminating in his appointment as Attorney General and brief tenure as interim Secretary of State in 1800. Lee died in 1815 after a long period of legal work and public service.

Early life and career

Charles Lee was born on January 1, 1758, the third child among eleven siblings to Henry Lee (1730–1787) and Lucy Grymes Lee. The Lees were part of Virginia’s First Families, and Charles’s elder brother would become General Henry “Light‑Horse Harry” Lee, while another brother, Richard Bland Lee, served as a congressman. A distant relative, future President Zachary Taylor, was also a third cousin. Growing up on the family’s Leesylvania plantation in Prince William County, Lee received a private education appropriate to his social standing before traveling eastward in 1775 to attend the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in New Jersey.

After completing his studies at Princeton, Lee read law under the guidance of Jared Ingersoll in Philadelphia. He returned to Virginia and was admitted to the bar, establishing a legal practice in Alexandria—a city that would later be incorporated into the District of Columbia. In 1787, Henry Lee’s will named Charles as executor and guardian for his three minor siblings (Edmund, Lucy, and Ann). When Lucy died in 1792, Charles inherited the Leesylvania plantation.

In 1789, Lee married Anne Lee, a second cousin who was the daughter of Richard Henry Lee. The couple settled at 220 North Washington Street in Alexandria until 1800, then moved to 407 North Washington Street where they remained until Anne’s death in 1804. Their marriage produced six children: Anne Lucinda (1790–1835), an infant son Arthur (1791), a short‑lived son Richard Henry (February–March 1793), Charles Henry (born October 1794), William Arthur (September 1796 – 1817), and Alfred (1799–1865). In July 1809, Lee remarried Margaret Scott Peyton of Fauquier County; the couple had four children: Robert Eden (1810–1843), Elizabeth Gordon (1813–1892), Willis Drury (d. 1843), and Alexander (1815).

Lee’s early professional life was marked by a mix of private practice and public appointments. He served as Alexandria’s city prosecutor until 1794, when he resigned that office. In addition to his prosecutorial duties, Lee held several appointed positions: tax collector for the Port of Alexandria from 1789 to 1793; naval officer for the South Potomac from 1777 to 1789; secretary of the Potomac Company in 1785; and clerk for the Common Council of Alexandria also in 1785. His legal practice attracted notable clients, including George Washington, who retained Lee’s services beginning in 1785.

In the political arena, Lee was elected by voters of Fairfax County to serve as one of their two delegates in the Virginia House of Delegates in 1793, 1794, and 1795. In his final term, he served alongside Samuel Arell until Arell died; Elisha C. Dick succeeded Arell, and later Charles Simms and Augustine J. Smith filled the seats in subsequent sessions.

Cabinet tenure

Lee’s federal career began when President George Washington appointed him Attorney General following the death of William Bradford. The United States Senate confirmed Lee’s appointment, and he assumed office on December 10, 1795. He served as the chief legal officer of the federal government until Washington left office in 1797, after which President John Adams continued to employ Lee in the same capacity for most of his administration. Lee remained Attorney General until February 19, 1801.

During his tenure, Lee also performed a brief service as interim Secretary of State from May 13 to June 5, 1800, following the resignation of Edmund Randolph and preceding Timothy Pickering’s appointment. His role in this capacity was temporary and limited to the interregnum between administrations.

On February 18, 1801, President Adams nominated Lee for one of sixteen new circuit court judgeships created by the Judiciary Act of 1801—a reorganization that temporarily reduced the Supreme Court from nine to five justices and eliminated circuit riding for the remaining members. The Senate confirmed Lee’s appointment on March 3, 1801; however, the Judiciary Act was repealed on April 8, 1802, and the new judgeships were abolished.

While serving as Attorney General, Lee continued to reside in Alexandria. He was elected to the Alexandria City Council in 1794 and re‑elected thereafter. During his time on the council he advocated for the return of the southern portion of the District of Columbia to Virginia—a goal that would not be realized until 1847. In 1804, the council elected Lee as mayor; he declined the position, leading to Dr. Elisha C. Dick’s selection instead.

Legacy

Charles Lee’s career bridged both local and national spheres of public service during the early republic. His legal work in Alexandria placed him at the center of a growing urban community that would later become part of Washington, D.C., while his federal appointments positioned him within the executive branch during a formative period for American law. As Attorney General, Lee was involved in the administration’s handling of legal matters across the young nation and participated in the brief reorganization of the federal judiciary.

After leaving office as Attorney General, Lee returned to private practice, where he became one of Northern Virginia’s most prominent trial attorneys. He represented notable figures such as William Marbury, a client connected to the landmark Supreme Court case *Marbury v. Madison*, though the specifics of his representation are not detailed in available records.

Lee died on June 24, 1815, after a career that spanned nearly four decades of legal practice and public service. His life reflects the interconnected nature of law, politics, and community leadership in early American history, illustrating how regional figures could ascend to national prominence while maintaining strong ties to their local constituencies.