Stratford, Scandal, and Survival: The Life of Henry Lee Iv

A quick portrait

I first met Henry Lee Iv in stacks of dates and the smell of old paper. He stands to me as a figure carved from inherited honor and eroded by everyday human error. Born May 28, 1787 at Stratford Hall, he lived 49 years and died January 30, 1837 in Paris. Those two numbers, 1787 and 1837, bookend a life that moved from public promise to private trouble, and from landed privilege to the sharp arithmetic of debts and chancery rulings.

Family and personal relationships

I trace his bloodlines like the rings of an old tree. His father was Henry Lee III, the famed cavalry officer known to history. His mother was Matilda Ludwell Lee, heiress of Stratford Hall. These two names carried estates, expectations, and the weight of a Virginia household. Early loss came when Matilda died in 1790; Stratford then passed into trusts and guardianship that would shape Henry Lee Iv’s responsibilities and his liabilities.

He married Anne Robinson McCarty on March 29, 1817. Their union produced a daughter, Margaret, in 1818; she died about 1820 after a tragic fall. The loss was both intimate and public. I see the fissures that followed: Anne’s addiction struggles in the 1820s, the contested guardianship of Anne’s sister Elizabeth “Betsy” McCarty, and the rumor-laced atmosphere that swelled around the household. Henry Lee Iv had half-siblings from his father’s second marriage, including Robert Edward Lee, born 1807, who would later loom large in American memory. The family list includes maternal grandparents such as Philip Ludwell Lee and Elizabeth Steptoe, and paternal ancestors like Henry Lee II and Lucy Grymes. These names anchor him to the Tidewater web of land, lineage, and legacy.

Career, public office, and military service

I map his public life across three arenas: militia, legislature, and diplomacy. He represented Westmoreland County in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1810 to 1813. He served as a major in the 36th U.S. Infantry during the War of 1812 and acted as aide to generals on the Canadian front. He ran for Congress in 1816 and lost. Later he aligned with Andrew Jackson and contributed political writing during the 1828 campaign. In 1829 President Jackson appointed him consul to Algiers, but the Senate did not confirm him properly and the appointment was short lived.

Those are the official lines. Between them I read the private chores of running Stratford, of collecting rents, of trying to manage enslaved labor and tenant income, and of juggling debts. Numbers punctuate the record: a chancery judgment of $11,568.97 against him in 1822; a sale of Stratford Hall for $25,000 in June of 1822; a reported sale of slaves for around $9,000 in 1835 to settle remaining obligations. These sums present a ledger of decline that no public office could erase.

Scandal, litigation, and the loss of Stratford

In my mind, the years 1820–1822 are when societal rumors became legally binding. Henry Lee Iv was accused of theft and poor management while serving as guardian and manager of his sister-in-law Betsy McCarty’s estate. In 1822, a chancery court ruling compelled him to sell Stratford Hall to William C. Somerville for $25,000 and pay $11,568.97. The sale represented a transfer of status in addition to property. He was once the master of Stratford, but now he was selling the very land that his ancestors had protected.

Scandal moved like a tidal wave. It damaged trust rather than just upsetting his pocketbook. Individuals who had previously seen him as an officer and heir started to see his name in incisive editorial pages and court dockets. I consider reputation to be money, and in his situation, it was quickly losing value.

Writings, later years, and final move

He turns to the pen, and I see it. He wrote a 1781 campaign history, a commentary on well-known public figures, and an essay about Napoleon somewhere about 1834. Writing became into a career and a haven. Through writing and sporadic appointments, he attempted to stabilize the family income while holding modest federal positions by the mid-1820s, including a postal job.

He and his spouse moved to Paris in the beginning of the 1830s. On January 30, 1837, he passed away there from influenza. He was survived by Anne till 1840. I see Paris as an odd culmination of a Virginian life, the old world of plantation nobility meeting the bustling streets of Europe, exile and escape combined.

Timeline

Writings and legacy in my view

I read his books as attempts to claim agency over narrative. He wrote to shape how history would hold his father, to critique public figures, and to stake a claim in the marketplace of ideas. Yet the sales were poor and the returns modest. His legacy is not a single monument. It is instead a mosaic of documents: chancery records, campaign pamphlets, published essays, and the silence left by a sold house. He is a cautionary portrait of how private missteps and public expectations collide.

FAQ

Who were Henry Lee Iv’s parents?

I can name them: Henry Lee III, the Revolutionary cavalry officer, and Matilda Ludwell Lee, heir of Stratford Hall. Matilda died in 1790, leaving youthful dependents and a trust that would complicate estate control.

Did Henry Lee Iv have children who survived him?

His only recorded child was Margaret, born 1818, who died about 1820 from a fall. There were no surviving children reported after that tragedy.

What caused the sale of Stratford Hall in 1822?

A chancery judgment found Henry Lee Iv indebted to Elizabeth “Betsy” McCarty for $11,568.97 as settlement for mismanaged estate funds. To satisfy debts and judgments, Stratford Hall was sold for $25,000 in June 1822.

Was Henry Lee Iv related to Robert E Lee?

Yes. Robert Edward Lee was his half-brother, born 1807 to Henry Lee III and Anne Hill Carter. They shared a father but had different mothers.

What public offices did he hold?

He served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1810 to 1813, saw service as a major in the War of 1812, and received a short lived appointment as consul to Algiers around 1829 to 1830.

When and where did he die?

He died January 30, 1837 in Paris of influenza. He was 49 years old at the time of his death.

Were there financial numbers that marked his decline?

Yes. The chancery judgment was $11,568.97 and Stratford sold for $25,000 in 1822. Later, the sale of enslaved persons in about 1835 reportedly brought approximately $9,000 to offset debts.

Did he publish any books?

He did. His works included a history of the 1781 campaign in the Carolinas, a polemical piece on a leading statesman, and a volume on the life of Napoleon published about 1834.