Thomas Sim Lee (October 29, 1745 – November 9, 1819) was an American planter, patriot and politician who served as Maryland Governor for five one-year terms (1779-1783 and 1792-1794), as well as in the

Congress of the Confederation The Congress of the Confederation, or the Confederation Congress, formally referred to as the United States in Congress Assembled, was the governing body of the United States from March 1, 1781, until March 3, 1789, during the Confederation ...

(1783–84), Maryland Ratification Convention of 1788 and House of Delegates in 1787. He also held local offices and owned many town lots in Georgetown (which became part of the new federal city,

Washington, District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

, and spent his final decades operating "Needwood" plantation in Frederick County, Maryland. In addition to working closely with many of the

Founding fathers The Founding Fathers of the United States, often simply referred to as the Founding Fathers or the Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American revolutionary leaders who united the Thirteen Colonies, oversaw the War of Independence ...

, he played an important part in the birth of his state and the nation.

Early life and education

Lee was born in 1745 in Upper Marlboro in the

Province of Maryland The Province of Maryland was an Kingdom of England, English and later British colonization of the Americas, British colony in North America from 1634 until 1776, when the province was one of the Thirteen Colonies that joined in supporting the A ...

. He was the son of Thomas (died 1749) and Christiana (Sim) Lee, a grandson of Philip Lee, and descended from the " Blenheim" Line of the

Lee family The Lee family of the United States is a historically significant Virginia and Maryland political family, whose many prominent members are known for their accomplishments in politics and the military. The family became prominent in colonial Bri ...

of Virginia. British merchant and Virginia politician

Richard Lee I Richard Lee I ( – 1 March 1664) was an English-born merchant, planter and politician who was the first member of the Lee family to live in America. Poor when he arrived in the colony of Virginia in 1639, Lee may have been both the colony's w ...

was his great-great-grandfather. He received a private education as befit his class, and in 1769 and 1770 was educated in

Bath, England Bath ( RP: , ) is a city in Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 census, the population was 94,092. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, west of London and southeast of Bristol. The city becam ...

Public life

Lee was a member of the provincial council by 1777. During the Revolutionary War, he backed the patriot cause, and organized a local militia in which he served as

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Governor Lee's wife, Mary Digges Lee, also rallied the women of Maryland to raise money in support of the war effort. She then established a correspondence with General

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

, asking how these resources could be put to best use. General Washington responded suggesting that the money raised be put toward the purchase of much-needed shirts and black neck clothes for the troops in the Southern army. He expressed gratitude to Mrs. Lee for the ''"patriotic exertions of the ladies of Maryland in favor of the army"''.

American Revolutionary war

Thomas Sim Lee participated in the Annapolis Convention in the mid-1770s, which produced a constitution for Maryland and transformed the colony into a state. On July 26, 1775, he was one of the signatories of the Declaration of the Association of the Freemen of Maryland, an influential statement in the Revolutionary War. Lee won his first state elective office in 1777, and served for two years in the Maryland Legislature.

First gubernatorial term

Fellow Maryland legislators elected Lee governor in 1779. He was reelected in 1780 and 1781. During his first tenure, issues regarding the war effort were dealt with. He won wide praise for his logistical abilities as governor. Lee consistently procured fresh troops and supplies for the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

was Lee's friend, and learning of the plan to pin down

Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805) was a British Army officer, Whig politician and colonial administrator. In the United States and United Kingdom, he is best known as one of the leading Britis ...

, Lee exerted all his energies to support the American troops. After completing his term, Lee was forbidden to stand for re-election, and so left office on November 22, 1782.

Articles of Confederation and Continental Congressman

As Governor of Maryland, Thomas Sim Lee signed the Act on February 2, 1781, whereby the

Maryland Legislature The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland that convenes within the State House in Annapolis. It is a bicameral body: the upper chamber, the Maryland Senate, has 47 representatives, and the lower chambe ...

ratified the

Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union The Articles of Confederation, officially the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement and early body of law in the Thirteen Colonies, which served as the nation's first frame of government during the American Revolutio ...

. As Maryland was the 13th and final state to ratify the Articles, the act established the ''requisite unanimous consent'' for the formation of a

Perpetual Union The Perpetual Union is a feature of the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, which established the United States of America as a political entity and, under later constitutional law, means that U.S. states are not permitted to withdra ...

of the states. Maryland had previously held out and refused to ratify the Articles until every state had ceded its western land claims. After Governor

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

signed the Act of the

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

legislature on January 2, 1781, to grant these concessions the way forward for Maryland was cleared. On this second day of February, a Friday, as the last piece of business during the afternoon Session, "among engrossed Bills" was "signed and sealed by the Governor, in the Senate Chamber, in the presence of the members of both Houses...an Act to empower the delegates of this state in Congress to subscribe and ratify the articles of confederation." The Senate then adjourned "to the first Monday in August next". The formal signing of the Articles by the Maryland delegates took place in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

at noon time on March 1, 1781. With these events, the Articles entered into force and the United States came into being as a united and

sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title that can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to ...

nation. After his first gubernatorial term, Thomas Sim Lee represented

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

as a delegate to the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

in 1783 and 1784. He returned to the Maryland house of delegates in 1787. He declined the opportunity to serve in the convention that drafted the

Constitution of the United States The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. Originally includi ...

, but served in the state convention that ratified the Constitution in 1788. Lee voted for Washington's second term as a Federalist presidential elector. Lee was a delegate to the Maryland State Convention of 1788, to vote whether Maryland should ratify the proposed

Second gubernatorial term

In 1792, Lee was again elected governor of Maryland. He was reelected to a second term in 1793, and to a third term in 1794. During this final tenure, the state militia was established, and the

Whiskey rebellion The Whiskey Rebellion (also known as the Whiskey Insurrection) was a violent tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791 and ending in 1794 during the presidency of George Washington. The so-called "whiskey tax" was the first tax impo ...

suppressed. Lee left office on November 14, 1794. Later that same year, he declined a seat in the U.S. Senate. He also declined a third tenure as governor in 1798.

Planter

Thomas Sim Lee's became a planter in Frederick County, Maryland, some time between 1775 and 1790. In 1775, Thomas Sim Lee was a resident of Prince George's County, and not in the Frederick County, Maryland census until 1790. Complicating matters, in the 1798 census his home was in Montgomery County, and in 1802 in the new District of Columbia, specifically in the Georgetown section in 1804-1807. After retiring from political life in 1794, Governor Lee focused his attention on his estate, Needwood, in

Frederick County, Maryland Frederick County is located in Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population was 271,717. The county seat is Frederick, Maryland, Frederick. The county is part of the Washington metropolitan area, ...

. He bought some property in Frederick County in 1775 and an interest in Needwood from pioneer educator Rev. Bartholomew Booth in 1783, but the transaction took decades, possibly because Booth's son and executor sold the land to one of two wealthy women who had emigrated to the colonies with pioneer educator Rev. Bartholomew Booth, Mary Valiens, who married Gen Horatio Gates and whose interest was relinquished in 1816. (Her sister Anna Bardsley purchased land in Washington County, Maryland). In the first federal census, in 1790, Lee owned 119

enslaved people Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

in Frederick County. In the same year, Lee also owned 16 slaves in Montgomery County, Maryland, which included Georgetown before creation of the federal city, as discussed below. In 1800, Lee owned 109 slaves in Frederick County, and 13 in Georgetown in the newly established District of Columbia. Lee sold four slaves to his daughter Elizabeth Digges Lee in 1806, who were manumitted in 1812, about seven months after her marriage to

Outerbridge Horsey Outerbridge Horsey III (March 5, 1777 – June 9, 1842) was an American lawyer and politician. He was a member of the Federalist Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly, as the 4th Attorney General of Delaware from 1806 to 1810 and a ...

, a federalist from Delaware who served in the U.S. Senate, then spent his final years near Needwood. His grandson (also Thomas Sim Lee), continued to operate Needwood using enslvaed labor, but paid taxes only for 13 slaves in 1850. also Thomas Sim Lee. This Thomas Sim Lee also maintained a winter home in Georgetown, near the nation's capital. Federalists frequented the home. Thomas Sim Lee was on the Board of directors of the Patowmack Canal, which George Washington and other members intended to connect the Tidewater near Georgetown with

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

. The project, which started in 1785, was completed in 1802, but closed in 1828. Nonetheless, sections were deepened and incorporated into the

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal and occasionally called the Grand Old Ditch, operated from 1831 until 1924 along the Potomac River between Washington, D.C., and Cumberland, Maryland. It replaced the Patowmack Canal ...

, now a national park.

Personal life

On October 27, 1771, Thomas Sim Lee married Mary Digges (1745–1805), whose father was a prominent Maryland landowner. In addition to their patriotic activities during the Revolutionary War described below, they were also very committed to their religion and community and founded the St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Petersville, Maryland. They had eight children: Thomas Sim Lee expanded

*Ignatius Lee (born 1772) *Thomas Lee (1774–1826) *William Lee (1775–1845) *Eliza Lee (born c. 1777) *Archibald Lee (1778–1781) *Archibald Lee (1781–1839) *Mary Christian Lee (born c. 1783) *Elizabeth Digges Lee (1783–1862) – married

in 1812. * John Lee (1788–1871)

Death and legacy

Mary Digges Lee died on January 25, 1805, at the age of 60. The widower never remarried, but lived at Needwood until his death on November 9, 1819, aged 74 years. A year before his death, he manumitted an enslaved woman named Nelly. Thomas Sim Lee was first buried at Melwood Park, his wife's family home. In 1888 his and the Melwood Diggeses' graves were moved to a common grave in Mt. Carmel Roman Catholic Cemetery near

Upper Marlboro, Maryland Upper Marlboro, officially the Town of Upper Marlboro, is the county seat of Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population within the town limits was 652, although Greater Upper ...

. Many of his papers are held by the Maryland Historical Society, which in cooperation with the Maryland State Archive, makes them available digitally. The special collections division of the Georgetown University also has five of his letters. A bronze plaque commemorating Thomas Sim Lee is affixed to a house he built in 1790 on 3001–3009 M Street (on the corner of M Street and 30th Street) in the Georgetown section of Washington D.C.. The site is now referred to as the Thomas Sim Lee Corner. The

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Liberty Ship Liberty ships were a ship class, class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Although British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost cons ...

was named in his honor.