Philip Ludwell Lee

Lee was born in late 1727 or early 1728 at one of the Lee family plantations, either "Mount Pleasant" in Westmoreland County (destroyed by arson in 1729) or "Paradise" in Gloucester County.^[a] Both his parents, Thomas Lee and Hannah Harrison Ludwell were of the First Families of Virginia, with considerable wealth as well as political power.^[1]: 73 His elder brother died shortly after being christened "Richard Lee" in February 1727. The family would also include Richard Henry Lee, Francis Lightfoot Lee, Arthur Lee, William Lee and Hannah Lee Corbin. Shortly after his father's death in 1750, this Philip Lee returned from England, where he had graduated from Eton and was studying law. He then assumed responsibility for his orphaned younger siblings.^{[4]: 49, 65–68}

In 1763 he married his heiress ward, Elizabeth, daughter of James Steptoe of Westmoreland County, who survived him and remarried to Philip Richard Fendall,^[1]: 72 but their son died as an infant.^{[5]: 104 [b]} Matilda would marry her cousin Lighthorse Henry Lee (whose financial profligacy caused difficulties for later generations) and Flora married her cousin Ludwell Lee.^[1]: 72

Although nicknamed "Colonel Phil" for his rank in the local militia, Lee's primary business was operating Stratford Hall and associated plantations he inherited mostly pursuant to primogeniture (including more than 12,000 acres in what had been Northumberland and Stafford Counties in Virginia). He participated in the creation of Loudoun County in 1757 from Fairfax County,^[1]: 71 which had been formed from Prince William County in 1742, which had been formed from Stafford county in 1731). Lee also owned acreage on Maryland's Eastern Shore and two islands. His property in Dorchester County, Maryland, on the northwest fork of the Nanticoke River had been part of land owned by Capt. John Lee, who died without children, so it was inherited by his brother Richard Lee of "Mount Pleasant" (this man's grandfather). He in turned willed it to his younger sons Philip Corbin Lee and Thomas Lee (this man's father, who called his 1300-acre plantation "Rehoboth" and established an entail so it would be inherited by his eldest son, i.e. this man).^{[5]: 102–103} Lee also owned many slaves (including over 100 at the 2800 acre Stratford plantation alone). He increased his landholdings in 1763 by marrying his heiress ward, but they had no children that survived their parents.

Westmoreland County voters elected Philip Lee as one of their representatives in the House of Burgesses, but he only served part of his term, being succeeded by his younger brother Richard Henry Lee. He resigned his position in the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly upon being nominated to the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly Council of State, and that appointment was ratified by the Board of Trade in London, so his service in the upper house began in 1757 and continued until his death.^{[4]: 49, 65–68}

Col. Phil became unpopular with his younger siblings because of the slow pace at which he settled their father's estate (that is awarded them their inheritances). Although he attributed the delays to needing to settle debts incurred by their father, they resented his lavish entertainments at Stratford Hall.