Lee, Richard Henry (1732–1794), American political leader who, on June 7, 1776, introduced in the Continental Congress a resolution calling for independence of the American colonies from Britain. A polished orator, Lee was dubbed by his contemporaries the "Virginia Cicero." One of eight surviving children of Thomas Lee and Hannah Ludwell Lee—among his brothers were William, Francis Lightfoot, and Arthur Lee—he was born at Stratford Hall, Westmoreland county, Va., on Jan. 20, 1732 (Jan. 31, New Style). He was educated in England. Returning to Virginia, he became at his father's instigation an investor in the Ohio Company, and he entered the House of Burgesses in 1758. From 1765 he joined with Patrick Henry in leading opposition to British colonial measures. Lee was an ally of Samuel Adams and promoted formation of the committees of correspondence.
As a delegate to the First Continental Congress in 1774, Lee advocated aggressive strokes against England. The Second Continental Congress adopted his independence resolution on July 2, 1776, while he was attending the Virginia constitutional convention. He signed the Declaration of Independence on his return and remained in Congress until 1779. With Adams he opposed the strong French role in American peacemaking efforts. After the Revolution Lee returned to Congress and was elected its president for the 1784–1785 session. He vigorously opposed the movement for a new central government. The influential antifederalist tract Letters from the Federal Farmer to the Republican (1787–1788), which criticized the Constitution chiefly because it lacked a bill of rights, is often attributed to him. Yet once the Constitution was in force, Lee campaigned for election to the U.S. Senate. Ill health forced his resignation in 1792. Lee died at his estate, Chantilly, in Westmoreland county, on June 19, 1794. ("Lee, Richard Henry (1732–1794)." Encyclopedia Americana. Grolier Online, 2012. Web. 18 Feb. 2012).