Barnard Elliot Bee Sr. (1787–1853) was an American attorney and politician. A native of

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, he, with his family, was an early settler of the

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas ( es, República de Tejas) was a sovereign state in North America that existed from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846, that bordered Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840 (another breakaway republic from Mex ...

. He became a political leader there, serving in several political-appointee positions in the republic.

Early life and education

Barnard Bee was born in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

, one of several siblings, the son of

Thomas Bee Thomas Bee (1739 – February 18, 1812) was a delegate to the Second Continental Congress, Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. Educat ...

and Susannah (Bulline) Bee, both of planter families. His father was a delegate to the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

and a US Congressman. Barnard studied law, and became an attorney.

Marriage and family

Bee married Ann Wragg Fayssoux of Charleston, from a prominent Anglo-French family. Her father's line was of French Huguenot descent. They had two sons, Hamilton Prioleau Bee (b. 1822) and Barnard E. Bee Jr. (b. 1824). Hamilton Bee followed his father into politics, serving first in the Republic of Texas Senate in 1846. He was elected to the Texas Legislature in 1849 and served for more than 10 years; in 1855, he was elected as speaker of the house. Both sons served in the Confederate Army as generals during the American Civil War. Barnard Bee Jr. was one of the first Confederate general officers to be killed in the war.

Political career

Bee served on the staff of his brother-in-law,

James Hamilton Jr. James Hamilton Jr. (May 8, 1786 – November 15, 1857) was an American lawyer and politician. He represented South Carolina in the U.S. Congress (1822–1829) and served as its 53rd governor (1830–1832). Prior to that he achieved widespread r ...

, governor of South Carolina from 1830 to 1832. In 1836, Bee moved his family to Texas and took part in the Texas Revolution. He settled near

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. Bee served the young republic in a number of political offices: as secretary of the treasury in 1836, secretary of war from 1837–1838, and secretary of state from 1839-1839. In 1839, Texas sent him as an agent to negotiate permanent peace and borders with

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. His offers were rejected. He began his return by sailing to

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, then obtained passage to

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

. The Texas government appointed him as minister (ambassador) to the United States. He served in that post from April 20, 1840, to December 13, 1841. He negotiated with Daniel Webster and settled the formal treaty by which the United States recognized

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Later years

After his return to Texas, Bee generally took up a private life again. Strongly opposed to the annexation of Texas into the United States, afterward he returned to South Carolina. He died there in 1853, and is buried in St Paul's Churchyard in Pendleton, South Carolina.

Legacy and honors

* Bee County and the city of

Beeville Beeville is a city in Bee County, Texas, United States, with a population of 12,863 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Bee County and home to the main campus of Coastal Bend College. The area around the city contains three prisons oper ...

in Texas are named in his honor. *His grandson

Carlos Bee Carlos Bee (July 8, 1867 – April 20, 1932) was an attorney and politician, serving as U.S. Representative from Texas. He was a son of Hamilton P. Bee and a great-grandson of Thomas Bee, a politician and judge in South Carolina in the Revolutio ...

was elected and served as a US Congressman from Texas.

Early life and education

Marriage and family

Political career

Later years

Legacy and honors

References

External links