Francis Lightfoot Lee was born on October 14, 1734, at Stratford Hall in Westmoreland County, Virginia, the son of Thomas Lee and Hannah Harrison Ludwell Lee. He belonged to one of the colony’s wealthiest and most politically influential families. His brothers included Richard Henry, Thomas Ludwell, William, and Arthur Lee, several of whom became prominent revolutionary leaders and diplomats. Unlike some brothers sent to England, Francis was educated primarily at home under the Scottish clergyman and tutor James Marye. His studies included classics, history, literature, religion, and the political thought expected of a gentleman. Stratford’s library and constant stream of family correspondence gave him a broad intellectual environment. Both parents died by the time Francis was still a young man, leaving the siblings with substantial inheritances and strong mutual dependence. Francis inherited land and enslaved people and became a planter. His wealth allowed him to pursue reading and public service without professional employment. In 1769 he married Rebecca Tayloe, daughter of John Tayloe II of Mount Airy. The marriage united two major Virginia dynasties. They had no surviving children but maintained a close partnership at Menokin plantation, built on land associated with her dowry. Lee entered the House of Burgesses and joined his brothers in opposition to parliamentary taxation. His political style was quieter than Richard Henry’s, but contemporaries respected his judgment and consistency. Before signing both the Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation, Francis had been shaped by Stratford privilege, private classical education, early parental loss, sibling solidarity, plantation inheritance, marriage, and reflective reading. His advocacy of colonial liberty existed alongside ownership of enslaved people, a central contradiction in his life and in the revolutionary leadership of Virginia.