Zaccheus Collins Lee (December 5, 1805 – November 26, 1859) was a Jurist, who served as U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland.

Family

Born into the illustrious Lee Family of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, he was the son of

Richard Bland Lee Richard Bland Lee (January 20, 1761March 12, 1827) was an American planter, jurist, and politician from Fairfax County, Virginia. He was the son of Henry Lee II (1730–1787) of "Leesylvania" and Lucy Grymes (1734–1792), as well as a younger b ...

(1761–1827) and his wife Elizabeth Collins (1768–1858). He was the seventh of their nine children and was named for his maternal uncle Zaccheus Collins. His first cousin was Robert E. Lee, his uncle Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee. He married Martha Ann Jenkins (April 5, 1819 – April 16, 1864) on June 15, 1837. The couple had three children; * Richard Henry Lee (April 29, 1839

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

– March 20, 1883); served as a Private in the Confederate Army. Father of 4. * Mary Elizabeth Lee (November 5, 1840

– April 8, 1904 Rome, Italy); she married 1) William B. Perine (d. May 1863) and 2) Bernard John Cooper (d. July 26, 1889), a

Post-Captain Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy. The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from: * Officers in command of a naval vessel, who were (and still are) addressed as captain ...

in the

British Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

. Mother of 4. * Mary Ida Lee (c. 1843); died at 6 months of age

Education & career

From November 1827 to July 1828, Zaccheus attended the

Winchester Law School Winchester Law School was a privately run institution for legal education. Operated by Henry St. George Tucker Sr., it was open from 1824 to 1831. History In 1824 Henry Tucker was named Chancellor of the Equity Court of the Fourth District, w ...

, founded and taught by Henry St. George Tucker in Winchester, Frederick County, Virginia. He then attended the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

, and studied law under William Wirt. After completing the bar, Lee practiced law in

, Maryland. He was the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland from 1841 to 1845, and again from 1850 to 1853. He was appointed Judge of the Superior Court of

in 1855 and served until his death. He died at 5 o'clock in the evening on November 26, 1859, a Saturday, in

, as a result of an attack of paralysis, which had happened a few days previously.

Legacy

* Lee was a classmate of

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...

, and was one of only a few people to attend Poe's funeral, as documented in letters from

Neilson Poe Judge Neilson Poe (August 11, 1809 - January 4, 1884) was an American judge for the City of Baltimore's orphan's court, (now referred to as a probate court). He was initially appointed to the court by Maryland Governor John Lee Carroll in 1878 an ...

. * In 1857, Lee interviewed an application by Edward Garrison Draper, a free black man, to be admitted to the Maryland bar as a lawyer. Draper was a graduate of

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

and had served several apprenticeships to other lawyers. Lee found Draper qualified on grounds of knowledge, but nevertheless refused to admit him due to Draper not being a white male. Denied a chance to practice law in Maryland, Draper departed for Liberia shortly after. * An address of his was published in 1918 as; ''The Age of Washington: An address delivered before the Calocagathian and Reading Room Societies of St. Mary's College'', discussing the subject of George Washington to St. Mary's Seminary.

References

Maryland lawyers United States Attorneys for the District of Maryland Lee family of Virginia 1805 births 1859 deaths University of Virginia alumni University of Virginia School of Law alumni Winchester Law School alumni {{US-law-bio-stub