Frank Lee Biography

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Frank Lee

Frank Lee came to Mount Vernon with his brother in 1768 when, as enslaved people, George Washington brought them there. He was given a work assignment in the house. Frank was first an enslaved waiter. Then he became the long-time enslaved butler for the Mount Vernon mansion.

Frank Lee was usually the first person a visitor to Mount Vernon saw. He dressed in a white-and-red livery suit. Liveries were special uniforms worn by house servants that George Washington ordered for him to wear. Frank would greet and announce a visitor’s presence to the family. Visitors remembered meeting him and described him as polite, kind, and light-skinned. These descriptions provided a rare opportunity to better understand the characteristics of an enslaved person at Mount Vernon. He had a lot of duties. He also oversaw the Washington’s tableware. He waited on the family at meals. He monitored the stores of food and wine. He supervised the cleaning of the house. He also looked after some of the estate’s dogs. 

Frank Lee married into one of the largest families on the estate. His wife was Lucy, Mount Vernon’s cook in the 1790s. They had at least four children. Documentary evidence suggests that the Lee family probably lived in the south wing of the Mansion cellar, where the Washingtons kept a second kitchen.