William F. Lee

William Fred Lee (1860-1941) was a Scott County School Superintendent and an ancestor of Congressman and Knoxville Mayor John J. Duncan Sr.

See Also: Scott County School Superintendents
Preceded By: James F. Jeffers • Succeeded By: J.J. Newport

Early Life

Little is known about William F. Lee, except that he was born in Overton County, Tenn. on Sept. 15, 1860 and later moved to Scott County.

Family

Lee married Ettie Tennessee Goad (1867-1890) in 1883. She was the daughter of Joshua Goad (1824-1910) and Elizabeth Robbins (1831-1907) of the Brimstone community near Robbins. Their only child was Cassie Lee, born Nov. 29, 1884.

Ettie Lee died on Sept. 10, 1890 at the age of 22. She was buried at Hughett Cemetery near her family’s farm at Brimstone. Interestingly, she is one of two wives of Scott County school superintendents buried in the tiny, long-forgotten cemetery. Vicie Robbins Hughett (1860-1894), the wife of school superintendent Jasper Hughett, was buried there four years later.

Professional Life

Lee opened a store on Rugby Road, near present-day Elgin, with his brother-in-law John Goad, who served as sheriff of Scott County from 1894 to 1896 and later held other elected offices. Later, in 1916, Lee purchased a gasoline distributorship in Oneida, located at the corner of Depot Street and Alberta Street.

Superintendent of Schools

Lee was appointed by Scott County Court as the county’s superintendent of schools in 1887. He served one two-year term in that capacity, succeeding James F. Jeffers. He was replaced by J.J. Newport.

Lee was one of several early school superintendents in Scott County who was from Robbins.

Death

Lee died on Jan. 23, 1941 in Corbin, Ky., at the age of 80. He is buried at Pine Hill Cemetery in Corbin.

Help complete the historical record. Have something to add? Please email newsroom@ihoneida.com.