Harvey Lee (1819–1866) was a lawyer, politician, judge and soldier. He was captain of a company of Illinois Volunteers in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

and lieutenant colonel of

California Volunteers California State Volunteer Units 1861 – 1866 The following are California State Volunteer Units that were active between 1861 – 1866 serving in the Union Army, most west of the Rocky Mountains in place of Federal troops: California Brigade ...

in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. During the

Harvey Lee from Fayette County, Illinois, was a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of a company from Alton, Illinois, in the 2nd Illinois Volunteers; for the war with Mexico from August 1847 until the regiment disbanded July 1848. His unit saw no fighting but was part of the garrison of Tampico. Lee came to California after the Mexican War, and practiced as a lawyer in

Benicia, California Benicia ( , ) is a waterside city in Solano County, California, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. It served as the capital of California for nearly thirteen months from 1853 to 1854. The population was 26,997 at the ...

. On September 13, 1853, he was married to Mary Ferguson, of Benicia. In 1858 he was elected a member of

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

, for the 18th District in

Amador County Amador County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California, in the Sierra Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,474. The county seat is Jackson. Amador County, located within California's Gold Country, is known as "The ...

. He was then appointed as recorder of the California Supreme Court in 1858–59 by the Assembly, unlike all previous recorders who had been appointed by the court. The court was not happy with this new arrangement. Justice Stephen Johnson Field later commented that Lee's work was so defective that the judges sought to have the new law repealed and the appointing authority returned to the court. As a result of this dispute, Lee held bitter feelings toward the judges that he vented during a conversation with the clerk of the court, a Mr. Fairfax. An altercation ensued in which Lee drew his sword cane, and ran it into Fairfax's body twice, inflicting a serious wound in the chest just above the heart. Fairfax drew his pistol in self-defense as Lee raised his sword for a third thrust but, let the pistol drop, restrained by the thought of Lee's wife and children. During the

he was given a commission as a Lt. Colonel of 4th Infantry California Volunteers in 1861. He first served at Benicia, and then at San Pedro at Camp Drum. He later became Commander of the District of Southern California, from February 7, 1863, to April 10, 1863. Sent in March 1863 to Fort Yuma, Lieutenant Colonel Harvey Lee, either signed as a witness or authenticated the copy of an April 9, 1863, peace and mutual defense treaty between the Indian tribes along the Colorado river and in western Arizona. Lee's junior officers believed that their commander slipped in and out of insanity. He was relieved of command of Fort Yuma on April 20, 1863, and was ordered to report to Headquarters in San Francisco and resigned from the Army thereafter. Elected again a Member of the California state assembly, in 1865 for the 14th District. He served in the assembly until 1866, when he was appointed District Judge of the 16th Judicial District. He held that office only a short while until his death on August 19, 1866, at the age of 47, in a buggy accident. He was buried in the Sacramento City Cemetery.Harvey Lee
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Harvey 1819 births 1866 deaths People of Illinois in the American Civil War People of California in the American Civil War American military personnel of the Mexican–American War Union Army officers