UNIVERSITY of GLASGOW

The Corresponence of James McNeil Whistler

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George Washington Curtis Lee, 1832-1913

Nationality: American
Date of Birth: 1832.09.16
Place of Birth: Fortress Monroe, VA
Date of Death: 1913.02.18
Place of Death: Virginia

Identity:

George Washington Curtis Lee was an army officer and University President. He was the son of the American military hero General Robert E. Lee (1807-1870).

Life:

Both George Lee and JW were at U. S. M. A., West Point, during the time when Robert E. Lee was superintendent. However, whereas JW, who was in the class below, was expelled in 1854, Lee graduated with the class of 1854. He acted as A. D. C. to President Jefferson Davis throughout the civil war, and attained the rank of Major General C. S. A.

In 1878, having learnt from his friend the sculptor J. E. Boehm that a memorial equestrian statue was to be erected to General R. E. Lee and that he stood a good chance of gaining a commission, JW contacted George Lee, recommending that the work by carried out by Boehm, appealing to Lee as 'an old West Point comarade [sic]' (#00320, #02504).

Bibliography:

Who Was Who in America: Historical Volume 1607-1896, Chicago, 1963; Cullum Memorial Edition, Register of Graduates and former cadets, United States Military Academy, West Point, 1980.