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 = G ...

, 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 M ...

. 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, 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 The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Bez ...

descent. They had two sons,

Hamilton Prioleau Bee Hamilton Prioleau Bee (July 22, 1822 – October 3, 1897) was an American politician in early Texas; he was secretary of the Texas Senate in 1846. He served nearly 10 years as representative to the state house beginning in 1849, and for one term ...

(b. 1822) and

Barnard E. Bee Jr. Barnard Elliott Bee Jr. (February 8, 1824 – July 22, 1861) was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was mortally wounded at the First Battle of Bull Run, one of the ...

(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., 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 List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...

. Bee served the young republic in a number of political offices: as

secretary of the treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

in 1836,

secretary of war The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...

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 Guate ...

. 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 Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harri ...

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 The Texas annexation was the 1845 annexation of the Republic of Texas into the United States. Texas was admitted to the Union as the 28th state on December 29, 1845. The Republic of Texas declared independence from the Republic of Mexico o ...

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 Pendleton is a town in Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,489 at the 2020 census. It is a sister city of Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The Pendleton Historic District, consisting of the town and ...

Legacy and honors

* Bee County and the city of Beeville in Texas are named in his honor. *His grandson Carlos Bee 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