Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 06.djvu/400

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LEE


LEE


scent. He was taught by his mother, a school teacher, and also attended the Gouldtown district school. He was licensed to preach in the African Methodist Episcopal church in 1868. at Xenia, Ohio, was oi'dained a deacon in 1870 and an elder in 1872, and was also graduated from Wilber- force university in the latter year. He was mar- ried, Dec. 30, 1873, to Mary E. Ashe of Mobile, Ala. He preached in Kentucky. Ohio and Penn- sylvania; was professor of ecclesiastical history, homiletics and pastoral theology at Wilberforce university, 1873-75, and president of that institu- tion, and professor of intellectual and moral philosophy and systematic theology, 1876-84. He was a trustee of the university and a director of the Payne Tlieological seminary. He was a delegate to the general conference of the A.M.E. cliurch, 1876; a member of the committee to arrange for the first Ecumenical conference of Methodism, and a delegate to the Ecumenical conference in London, 1881, and to the Methodist Centennial in Baltimore. Md., in 1884. At the gen- eral conference of the A.M.E. church, in Philadel- phia, 1892, lie was elected and consecrated bishop. He received the degree of D.D. from Wilberforce university in 1883. He edited the Cht-istian Re- corder, Philadelphia, Pa., 1884, and is the author of: Wesley the Worker (1880); The Causes of the Success of Methodism.

LEE, Blewett, lawyer, was born near Colum- bus, Miss., March 1, 1867; son of Stephen Dill Lee (q.v.) and Regina (Harrison) Lee. He was graduated from the Agricultural and Mechanical College 01 Mississippi, B.S. in 1883; studied at the University of Virginia, 1883-8-5; was gradu- ated from Harvard university, A.M. and LL.B. in 1888, and studied at Leipzig and Freiburg, Ger- many. He was private secretary to Justice Hor- ace Gray in 1890; and practised law in Atlanta, Ga., 1890-93. He was a professor in the Atlanta Law school in its first faculty; and was elected professor of law in the Northwestern university, Chicago, 111., in 1893, in which city he also prac- tised his profession. He was married, Feb. 9, 1898, to Frances, daughter of John J. and Frances (Macbeth) Glessner of Chicago, 111. He was elected a member of the American Bar association in 1894. He is the author of various articles in legal journals.

LEE, Charles, soldier of fortune, was born in Dernhall, Cheshire, England, in 1731; the young- est son of John and Isabella (Bunbury) Lee. He received a classical education and then devoted himself to a study of the art of war. His father died in 1751, and in the same year he was com- missioned lieutenant in the 44th regiment, of which his father had been colonel. Ordered to America in 17.54, the regiment was attached to Biaddock's army in Virginia, and after the dis-


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astrous defeat of July 9, 1755, marched with tiie remnant of the army to Albany and Schenec- tady, where Lee met Sir "William Johnson and was adopted by the Mohawk Indians. He pur- chased a captain's commission for £900, June 11, 1756; was severely wounded in Aber- crombie's assault up- on Ticonderoga, July 1, 1758; was present at the capture of Fort Niagara, and his small party then marched to Fort Du- quesne and thence to Crown Point, N.Y., where he joined Gen- eral Amherst, and in 1760 took part in the capture of Mon- treal. He returned to England and was pro- moted major in the 103d regiment, Aug. 10. 1761. After service in Burgoyne's division in Portugal in 1762. he organized a project for establishing new colonies in America, to be recruited from Germany, Switzerland and New England. The British ministry refused to approve the plan, and he went to Poland in 1764, where he was ap- pointed on the staff of the king, and accompanied the Polish embassy to Turkey in 1766. He re- turned to England in 1766, and for two years un- successfully urged his claims to promotion in the army. He accepted a commission as major-gen- eral in the Polish army in 1769, and made a cam- paign against the Turks, after which he publicly derided his superior officers and left the army. He visited Italy in 1770, returne 1 to England liy way of Gibraltar; was in France and Switzer- land, 1771-72, and on 3Iay 25. 1772. he was pro- moted lieutenant -colonel in the British army and placed on half-pay. Disappointed, he arrived in America, Nov. 10, 1773, made the acquaintance of the Revolutionary leaders, was in Philadel- phia during the first session of the Continental congress, and his expressed knowledge of mili- tary science attracted the attention of the dele- gates then anxious to scdect a competent leader for the Revolutionary army. To establisli his citizenshipand to inspire confidence, he purchased for £5.000 Virginia currency, an e5,tate in Berke- ley county, Va. . near the estate of Horatio Gates, whose friendship he had gained. The purchase was closed in May, 1775, after the 2d congress had assembled and had given evidence of favoring his claims to a high commission. The purchase money he obtained by borrowing £3000 sterling from Robert Morris, of Pliilailelphia. pledging the property as security and a draft on his agent