Beyer, Kaine Seek End To Arlington House's Robert E. Lee Designation

ARLINGTON, VA — Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced legislation on Thursday to remove Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s name from the official designation at Arlington House, the historic mansion where he lived before the Civil War.

Beyer and Kaine’s legislation, introduced in both the House of Representatives and Senate, would identify and repeal statutes that memorialized Lee and add a formal historic site designation to the name, making it “the Arlington House National Historic Site.”

The home, surrounded by Arlington National Cemetery, is a National Park Service site officially known as “Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial.” Congress renamed the site in 1972 to add Lee’s name and designate it as a memorial to him.

“Congress should never approve or celebrate violent insurrection against the United States government,” said Beyer, whose congressional district is home to Arlington House. “Robert E. Lee himself opposed erecting Confederate monuments, and the site was chosen to punish his rebellion against the lawful government of the United States.”

The House version of the bill was cosponsored by Reps. Gerry Connolly and Jennifer Wexton of Virginia, and by D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.

The legislation, previously introduced in the House by Beyer, was partially inspired by the request of descendants of people who were enslaved at Arlington House.

“If we are serious about ending racial disparities, we need to stop honoring those who fought to protect slavery,” Kaine said. “I’m proud to be part of the effort to rename Arlington House, and am going to keep fighting for the kinds of reforms we need to create a society that delivers liberty and justice for all.”

After the site reopened to the public in June 2021, Beyer met with a group of Arlington House descendant family members whose ancestors were enslaved and free. Stephen Hammond, a Syphax family descendant and a family historian, has worked to build support for the bill in the House and the Senate ahead of its reintroduction.

“I’m extremely proud that our collective voices have helped to get this bill reintroduced,'' said Hammond. “Descendant family members are hopeful that this name, ‘Arlington House National Historic Site,’ and the conversations that follow will help broaden the narrative that has been focused primarily on one individual and will increase public awareness of the complete history of the Arlington House Plantation.”

Beyer said he consulted with local officials and local groups while working on the legislation, including the Arlington Historical Society.

The mansion, which sits on federal land within Arlington National Cemetery and is administered by the National Park Service, overlooks the Potomac River. The house was built by Martha Custis Washington’s son, George Washington Parke Custis, as the nation's first memorial to George Washington.

George Washington Parke Custis’ daughter later married Robert E. Lee and lived in the home until the Civil War, during which the site was chosen to serve as a national military cemetery in part to prevent Lee from returning.

Congress passed legislation in 1955 designating the house the “Custis-Lee Mansion” to memorialize Lee, and subsequently amended the official title to "Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial."

Beyer and Kaine’s updated legislation would identify and repeal statutes that memorialized Lee and add a formal historic site designation to the name, making it “the Arlington House National Historic Site.”