George Washington Custis
| George Washington Parke Custis | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | April 30, 1781 Rosaryville State Park |
| Died | October 10, 1857 (aged 76) Virginia |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Residence | Arlington House |
| Nationality | American |
| Education |
Germantown Academy Princeton University St John's College |
| Occupation | Author |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis |
| Parent(s) |
John Parke Custis Eleanor Calvert |
| Relatives |
George Washington (step-grandfather and guardian) Robert E. Lee (son-in-law) |
George Washington (step-grandfather and guardian)
George Washington Parke Custis (April 30, 1781 – October 10, 1857) was a Virginia plantation owner, antiquarian, author and playwright. The grandson of Martha Washington and step-grandson and ward of George Washington, he and his sister Eleanor grew up at Mount Vernon and in the Washington presidential households.
Upon reaching age 21, Custis inherited a large fortune from his late father, John Parke Custis, including a plantation in what is now Arlington, Virginia. High atop a hill overlooking the Potomac River and Washington, D.C., he built the Greek Revival mansion Arlington House (1803-18), as a shrine to George Washington. There he preserved and displayed many of Washington's belongings. Custis wrote historical plays about Virginia, delivered a number of patriotic addresses, and was the author of the posthumously-published Recollections and Private Memoirs of George Washington (1860).
His daughter, Mary Anna Randolph Custis, married Robert E. Lee. They inherited Arlington House and the plantation surrounding it, but the property was confiscated by the federal government during the Civil War.
Arlington House is now a museum, interpreted by the National Park Service as the Robert E. Lee Memorial. The remainder of Arlington plantation is now Fort Myer and Arlington National Cemetery.
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Wikipedia