Alice Lee was born on May 27, 1853, in Westport, Essex County, New York, and died on February 18, 1943, in Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, living approximately 89 years. As one of the most influential figures of the

Social Movement A social movement is a loosely organized effort by a large group of people to achieve a particular goal, typically a social or political one. This may be to carry out a social change, or to resist or undo one. It is a type of group action and may ...

, she had a same sex partner Katherine Teats who died in 1952. They were both aspects of the social environment by hosting two U.S. presidents and their wives at their

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, residence. Lee and Teats are, according to the San Diego Historical Resource Board, "one of the first documented domestic partnerships in San Diego", being indeed documented living together in various

Census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

records; in the 1930 Census, Lee was the Head of Household and Teats was Partner (and not Lodger while often used in such cases). Together they owned various real estate properties in San Diego, had an active civic and social life, and were accepted as a couple. Lee is viewed as a “Civic Leader in San Diego Union, the Ticonderoga Sentinel, the Boston Globe, and Women of the West: A Series of Biographical Sketches of Living Eminent Women in the Eleven Western States of the United States of America”. Lee died on February 18, 1943, in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

, where she was spending the winter, and is buried at Hillside Cemetery, Westport.

Early Adulthood

Leed continued her education in Boston, Massachusetts, where the family spent the winters while growing up.

Mid Adulthood

In 1887, at age 34, Alice Lee purchased Marvin House (John Halstead’s original pub) in Westport, New York, transforming it into a posh hotel. Marvin house became the foundation for Westport Inn. It was open from June through October but was usually just a summer getaway for tourists. She removed bordering properties so that she could add new attractions to this hotel. Westport Inn consisted of additional "cottages", a boathouse, gardens, tennis and croquet courts, a 6-hole Golf course and the annex (located on the other side of Main Street). Alice Lee's brother, Thomas Lee, built the pipes to bring water from Mountain Spring down to the hotel which later became the town water supply. He also bottled the water to sell it. Lee sold the property to Harry P. Smith in the early 1900s. The Westport Inn was demolished in 1966, 80 years after it was built. Westport Library, Westport, NY

Lee helped fund-raising for both the

Westport Library The Westport Library is a public library in the town of Westport, Connecticut, established on February 4, 1886, by members of the Westport Reading-Room and Library Association. Morris Ketchum Jesup, born in 1830 to a country doctor, amassed a ...

(1888) and the Cutting Memorial Hall addition (1907). Cutting Memorial Hall became a social center for the people of Westport, New York. Westport Library remains in its original structure due to restrictions that granted it establishment in the first place.

Late Adulthood

In 1902 Lee moved to San Diego to find a better climate for her health problems. When she first moved to San Diego she met the Marston family, who were already involved in the Progressive movement. Lee was a supporter of the Progressive movement, and other than

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

, she was friends with

Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English Reform movement, social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during t ...

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champ ...

and the family of

Amos Bronson Alcott Amos Bronson Alcott (; November 29, 1799 – March 4, 1888) was an American teacher, writer, philosopher, and reformer. As an educator, Alcott pioneered new ways of interacting with young students, focusing on a conversational style, and av ...

. Lee joined the movement through the Marston family and through Theodore Roosevelt’s role in the Progressive Party. She fought for social and political reform. She encouraged women to vote by campaigning for Franklin Roosevelt in 1932. She represented the

California Progressive Party The California Progressive Party, also named California Bull Moose, was a political party that flourished from 1912 to 1944 and lasted through the 1960s. In 1910, Hiram W. Johnson, a nominal Republican who was backed by suffragette and early femi ...

at the National Convention held in Chicago, Illinios after they noticed her contributions. By campaigning for Franklin Roosevelt in 1932 she would help women's suffrage and increase women's political rights. In San Diego Lee was a member of First Unitarian Church, Wednesday Club, Civic Committee of the Chamber of Commerce, and other groups for cultural and civic development. She was also President of the San Diego Museum, the Balboa Park Auditorium Association, and the Balboa Park Commission. She was Honorary Director of the Women's Civic Center and Director of the Natural History Museum. She founded the Open Forum, a group that was devoted to discuss social, political, and international issues. In 1935 the Open Forum was "oldest continuous non-legislative forum of free public discussion in the United States" and it closed in the 1970s. She led the "Save the Beaches" campaign whose purpose was to open to public beaches in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

(especially San Diego). This campaign was against oil companies who had taken control of said beaches. Lee was also instrumental in developing the public playground system. The public playground system kept kids from developing bad habits and instead gave them somewhere to socialize in a healthy manner.

Personal life & LGBTQ+ Significance

Lee and her partner Katherine Teats, shared a home on Seventh Avenue in San Diego from 1902 till Alice's death in 1943, when Katherine continued in their home by herself. Katherine's grand niece, according to San Diego Magazine, said, "the family lore considered the pair to be lesbians." Together, they lived in the main house of the residence and rented the other two homes on the property. They hosted accuatences like the wife of

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

, Frances Folsom Cleveland Preston, and

's, and Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt whom they were friends with. Because of these interactions they were also continuous guests at the White House. Theodore Roosevelt and his wife Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt, and Frances Folsom Cleveland Preston were often guests at Lee's San Diego home at 7th Ave. In 1905 they commissioned

Hazel Wood Waterman Hazel Wood Waterman (1865–1948) was an early 20th century American architect working in an Arts and Crafts—inspired style in southern California. She undertook the first major renovation of Estudillo House, which is one of the oldest survivin ...

, with the supervision of

Irving Gill Irving John Gill (April 26, 1870 – October 7, 1936), was an American architect. He did most of his work in Southern California, especially in San Diego and Los Angeles. He is considered a pioneer of the modern movement in architecture. Twelve ...

, to build three residences in San Diego, Alice Lee Residence at 3574 7th Ave, Katherine Teats Cottage at 3560 7th Ave and Alice Lee Cottage at 3578 7th Ave. The compound shared a garden designed by botanist and landscape architect

Kate Sessions Katherine Olivia "Kate" Sessions (November 8, 1857 – March 24, 1940) was an American botanist, horticulturalist, and landscape architect closely associated with San Diego, California, and known as the "Mother of Balboa Park." Their residences are now labeled as historical landmarks.

Family

Alice Lee was born on May 27, 1853, in Westport, New York, the daughter of Colonel Francis L. Lee (1823-1886) and Sarah Mary Anne Wilson. She was the second cousin of Theodore Roosevelt's wife, Alice Hathaway Lee.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Alice 1854 births 1943 deaths People from San Diego