William Lee
- Position
- Valet
- Years in President's House
- 1789
- Legal Status
- Enslaved Person
- Gender
- Male
- Race/Ethnicity
- Black or African American
- Presidency
- George Washington
- Biography
Details about William “Billy” Lee’s birth and early life remain unknown. In 1768, George Washington purchased Billy for 61.15 pounds from a wealthy Virginia widow, Mary Lee. Washington also purchased Billy’s brother Frank and the pair were brought to Mount Vernon. The brothers were often described as “mulatto” or mixed race and were likely born to an enslaved mother and white father. (1)
Billy served as George Washington’s valet for two decades, accompanying the general throughout the Revolutionary War. In this role he dressed Washington, ran errands, and delivered notes and documents. During the war, he married a free Black woman named Margaret Thomas and asked Washington to bring her to Mount Vernon. Although Washington agreed to the request, she was never recorded living at Mount Vernon and may have passed away. (2)
During the 1780s, Billy had several accidents damaging both knees. Despite these injuries, he traveled to join President Washington’s household in New York in 1789. His journey was difficult and he stopped in Philadelphia to be fitted with a steel brace. Although he completed the journey to New York, it quickly became clear that he could not continue in his role. (3) He was sent back to Mount Vernon where he became a shoemaker and worked in the cobbler shop. (4)
When George Washington died in 1799, Billy was the only enslaved person granted his immediate freedom, “for his faithful services during the Revolutionary War.” (5) Billy remained living at Mount Vernon as a free man until he died in 1810. He was likely buried at the enslaved cemetery at Mount Vernon. (6)
(1) The White House Workers History Project relies on the U.S. Census Bureau’s updated guidelines for collecting demographic data related to race and ethnicity published in 2024. Adhering to these categories, this project identifies this person as Black or African American; however, there is documentation or other evidence suggesting that they were multiracial or mixed race. It is important to recognize that historical terms such as “mulatto” and “colored” are problematic, as these reflect the document writer’s views and the historical period more than the individual’s preferences or identity. Jessie MacLeod, William (Billy) Lee, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, accessed September 15, 2025, https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/william-billy-lee.
(2) Jessie MacLeod, William (Billy) Lee, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, accessed September 15, 2025, https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/william-billy-lee; “George Washington to Clement Biddle, 28 July 1784,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/04-02-02-0014. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Confederation Series, vol. 2, 18 July 1784 – 18 May 1785, ed. W. W. Abbot. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1992, p. 14.]
(3) “Clement Biddle to George Washington, 27 April 1789,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-02-02-0115. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Presidential Series, vol. 2, 1 April 1789 – 15 June 1789, ed. Dorothy Twohig. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1987, pp. 133–134.]; Jessie MacLeod, William (Billy) Lee, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, accessed September 15, 2025, https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/william-billy-lee.
(4) “Washington’s Slave List, June 1799,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/06-04-02-0405. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Retirement Series, vol. 4, 20 April 1799 – 13 December 1799, ed. W. W. Abbot. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1999, pp. 527–542.]
(5) “George Washington’s Last Will and Testament, 9 July 1799,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/06-04-02-0404-0001. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Retirement Series, vol. 4, 20 April 1799 – 13 December 1799, ed. W. W. Abbot. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1999, pp. 479–511.]
(6) Jessie MacLeod, William (Billy) Lee, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, accessed September 15, 2025, https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/william-billy-lee.
- Birthplace
- Unclear from Context
- Unclear from Context
- Related Association Content
- https://www.whitehousehistory.org/the-enslaved-household-of-president-george-washington