 Thomas resided at Belleview, Stafford County, Virginia, the site of the first annual meeting of the Mississippi Company, at which George Washington (1732–1799) and his brother, John Augustine Washington, attended in September 1763.He was a member of the House of Burgesses from 1758 to 1765 but refused to enter into US politics.John Adams, quoting George Wythe, once said that Lee was "the delight of the eyes of every Virginian, but would not engage in public life."