Barnard Elliot Bee, Senior was an attorney and politician.
Background
Barnard Bee was born in Charleston, South Carolina, one of several siblings, the son of Thomas Bee and Susannah (Bulline) Bee, both of planter families. His father was a delegate to the Continental Congress and a United States Congressman. Her father"s line was of French Huguenot descent.
Education
Barnard studied law, and became an attorney.
Career
A native of South Carolina, he moved to the Southwest in 1836, where he and his family were early settlers in the Republic of Texas. He became a political leader there, serving in several political appointee positions in the republic. In 1836, Bee moved his family to Texas and took part in the Texas Revolution.
He settled near Houston.
Bee served the young Republic in a number of political offices: as Secretary of the Treasury in 1836, Secretary of War 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.
His offers were rejected. He began his return by sailing to Cuba, then obtained passage to Washington, District of Columbia 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 and settled the formal treaty by which the United States recognized Texas. After his return to Texas, Bee generally took up a private life again.
Strongly opposed to the annexation of Texas into the United States, afterward he returned to South Carolina. He died there in 1853, and is buried in Street Paul’s Churchyard in Pendleton, South Carolina.
Hamilton P. Bee later moved to Texas, where he served about 10 years in the state house, being elected as speaker in 1855.