Use Restrictions

Public Domain, there are no known restrictions.

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Letter from Richard Bland Lee regarding Alexandria, Virginia merchants and the National Bank, C0376, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Acquisition Information

Purchased by Lynn Eaton from Jerry Showalter in July 2019.

Processing Information

Biographical Information

Richard Bland Lee was an American politican, jurist, member of the Lee family, and enslaver. Born in 1761 in Prince William County, Virginia, Lee was well-educated and attended the College of William and Mary. He served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1784-1788, and later as U.S. Representative for three different terms, which lasted from 1789-1975. Lee was Northern Virginia's first representative to Congress. Lee inherited the land that would become Sully Plantation (now Sully Historic Site) from his father Henry Lee II along with his younger brother Theodorick Lee.

At Sully Plantation the brothers used enslaved labor to further their agricultural efforts. From the Sully Historic Site website: "Richard's 1787 inheritance from his father included land, livestock and the ownership of 29 enslaved people. Among them were Sam, the blacksmith; John, a manservant; Prue, the mother of several children; Thornton, a male cook; and Caine and Eave, who had lived and worked at Sully since 1746. These men and women, along with four tenants, provided the essential labor and artisan skills upon which the family depended. Their activities encompassed every aspect of operating the farm." Lee was the Uncle of General Robert E. Lee, who led the Confederacy's effort to perpetuate the institution of slavery during the Civil War.

Scope and Content

A letter from Richard Bland Lee to an unknown recipient regarding Alexandria, Virginia merchant and the National Bank. The letter reads: "Philadelphia, Jan 17, 1792, Sir, I take the liberty of troubling you once more with a memorial from the Merchants of Alexandria on the subject of establishing a Branch of the National Bank at that place. - You will, I make no doubt, take [?] measures to have it decided on; and with all due [?] and to the considerations which induced a second application - I am with great personal respect your most ob't Sevt Richard Bland Lee[.]" The letter was written during Lee's first time as U.S. Representative for Prince William County, Virginia.

Arrangement

This is a single item collection.

Related Material

The Special Collections Research Center has other materials related to Sully Plantation, including the Alexander Haight family collection. The Haight family owned Sully Plantation during the Civil War.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Banks and banking, American