born Jan. 29, 1756, Prince William county, Va.
died March 25, 1818, Cumberland Island, Ga., U.S.
American army officer and politician.
In the American Revolution he rose to cavalry commander (earning the nickname "Light-Horse Harry") and led victories at Paulus Hook, N.J., and in the South. As governor of Virginia (179194), he commanded the army that suppressed the Whiskey Rebellion (1794). In the U.S. House of Representatives (17991801), he wrote the resolution eulogizing George Washington as "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." After 1800 Lee failed in several land and financial speculations and was twice imprisoned for debt. He was the father of Robert E. Lee .