Richard Lee was educated at Oxford. He was a member of the Council in 1676, 1680-83-88, 1692-98. A Burgess in 1677, and probably earlier.

Governor Spotswood described Richard Lee as, “a gentleman of as fair character as any in the country for his exact justice, honesty and unexceptional loyalty. In all the stations wherein, he has served in this government, he has behaved himself with great integrity and sufficiency; and when his advanced age would no longer permit him to execute to his own satisfaction the duty of Naval Officer of the same district, I thought I could not better reward his merit than by bestowing that employment on his son.”