William Lee—who preferred to be called by that name, though Washington often called him “Billy” or “Will”—was George Washington’s enslaved valet for 20 years. During that time, Lee rarely left Washington’s side, meaning that numerous records preserving Lee’s travels and responsibilities exist. Archives, however, hold fewer details on Lee’s life after a series of knee injuries made him retire from his role as a valet. We now know that in the years following, Lee began making shoes for the enslaved community on the Mount Vernon plantation, with records referring to him as “Shoemaker Will (or Billy, or William)”. A timeline of Lee’s life is provided in this visualization.
Additional Information: A Glimpse of William “Billy” Lee: George Washington’s Enslaved Manservant
Project Designer and Developer: Madeline Pannell
Project: The Papers of George Washington at the University of Virginia
