Date of Service: 1880-1884
1835+/-: Alexander G. Lee is born a slave in Portsmouth, VA.
1865: Alexander G. Lee resides in Hampton, VA.
1871: Alexander G. Lee works as a boatman and oysterman at the customs house in Old Point Comfort, VA. Lee, and his wife Nellie, have a son in Hampton, VA.
1873: Alexander G. Lee runs as an independent for the Virginia House of Delegates representing the counties of Warwick and Elizabeth City. He is defeated by Republican Rufus S. Jones, another African American.
1875: Lee is a delegate to a convention of African Americans in Virginia, to advance economic and social interests. Lee also served on the committee for organization and labor.
1877-1879: Lee runs again as a Republican for the Virginia House of Delegates representing Warwick and Elizabeth City and wins a two-year term.
1880: In the US Census, Alexander G. Lee (age 45) lives in Hampton, VA., with his wife Nellie (age 50), and two sons. His occupation is listed as lighthouse keeper.
1880-1881: Served as Assistant Keeper at Old Point Comfort Lighthouse, VA. His salary was $400/year.
1881-1882: Served as Second Assistant at Thimble Shoal Lighthouse, VA. His salary was $400/year. The Second Assistant position was abolished on October 1, 1882.
1884: Served as Assistant Keeper at Tue Marshes Lighthouse, VA. His annual salary was $440/year.
Late 1880s: Alexander G. Lee works as a laborer for the Army Corps of Engineers at Fort Monroe, VA.
1887: Lee runs as an independent Republican for the Virginia House of Delegates but is defeated by another African American, John H. Robinson.
1900: In the U.S. Census, Lee lives with his son in Hampton, VA.
1901: Alexander G. Lee dies prior to October 10th, when his estate is recorded in the county’s personal property tax list. It is not known where he is buried.
Alexander G. Lee Anecdotes:
Alexander G. Lee was born a slave sometime in the mid-1830s, in Portsmouth, Virginia. By 1865, Lee was living in Hampton, Virginia, where he more than likely fled slavery like so many others during this time frame. In 1871, Lee was working as a boatman and oysterman at the customs house in Old Point Comfort, Virginia. Around this same time, Lee, and his wife Nellie, had a son born in Hampton.
In 1873, Alexander Lee decided to enter the political world and ran as an independent. Lee received 262 votes out of 1,700 cast but lost to an African American Republican. In 1875, Lee was a delegate to a convention in Richmond where African Americans met to advance economic and social interests, as well as serving on a committee for organization and labor.
By 1877, Lee decided to give politics another try, running as a Republican. This time was a success, with Lee receiving 508 votes, winning a two-year term in the Virginia House of Delegates representing Warwick and Elizabeth City. During his term, Lee introduced a bill relating to fees that justices of the peace were paid, but it did not pass. He also introduced a resolution that would have instructed the judge of Elizabeth City to select jurors “without regard to race or color”. In 1878, Lee voted for the “Barbour Bill”. This bill would require taxes used to support schools and other state services to be paid with money, rather than interest-bearing coupons the state issued in 1871 to refinance the Virginia debt. (Virginia accrued almost $34 million in state debt between 1822 and 1861).
After Lee’s two-year term ended, he lived with his wife and two sons in Hampton, Va. In 1880, Lee served as Assistant Keeper at Old Point Comfort Lighthouse, where he made $400/year. In 1881, Lee served as Second Assistant at Thimble Shoal Lighthouse, Virginia, earning $400/year. He remained in this position until October 1, 1881, when the position was abolished. Lee also served as Assistant Keeper at Tue Marshes Lighthouse, earning $440/year.
Alexander G. Lee decided to give politics another try and ran as an independent Republican for the Virginia House of Delegates in 1887 but was defeated by another African American. In the late 1800s, Lee worked as a laborer for the Army Corps of Engineers at Fort Monroe, Va. In the 1900 census, Lee was living with his son in Hampton, where he remained until his death sometime in 1901. It is not known where he is buried.
Sources: Familysearch.org, Chesapeake Chapter Database,https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/alexander-g-lee-d-by-october-10-1901/ (accessed 12/28/2023)
