Richard Henry Lee

After a course of private instruction Richard Henry Lee attended Wakefield Academy in England and returned to Virginia in 1751. He held the office of justice of the peace for Westmoreland County (1757) and was a member of the House of Burgesses of Virginia (1758-1775). As a member of the Continental Congress (1774-1779), on 7 Jun 1776, Lee offered the resolution "that these colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states." He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and author of the first national Thanksgiving Day proclamation issued by Congress at York, Pennsylvania (31 Oct 1777). Lee returned to Virginian politics in 1777, when he became a member of the State House of Delegates (1777, 1780, 1785) and also served as colonel of the Westmoreland Militia.

On 22 Jun 1784 Lee again was chosen a member of the Continental Congress (1784-1788). The session of Congress, which convened in Trenton, New Jersey, on 1 Nov 1784, could not proceed to the election of president until 30 Nov 1784, when eight states formed a quorum and elected Lee its president. After less than a month, the Congress adjourned on 24 Dec 1784 and convened again in New York on 11 Jan 1785. In February 1785, Congress elected John Adams as Minister Plenipotentiary to Great Britain to settle the postwar issues. Congress also passed the Land Ordinance of 1785, which divided the northwest territories into townships.

One of the most violent critics of federalism, Lee participated in the Virginia convention which ratified the Federal Constitution (1788). Elected to the United States Senate, Lee served from 4 Mar 1789 until his resignation on 8 Oct 1792. He served as President pro tempore (18 Apr 1792 - 5 Nov 1792) during the Second Congress.