George Washington Parke Custis

Who was George Washington Parke Custis?

George Washington Parke Custis, was the step-grandson and adopted son of United States President George Washington, and father-in-law of Robert E. Lee. He spent his large inherited fortune building Arlington House on the Potomac opposite Washington D.C. After his death, the estate was left to the Lee family, but was confiscated after the outbreak of the American Civil War. Later, the confiscation was rescinded, and Congress bought the estate back from the family. The house is now the Robert E. Lee Memorial and the plantation became Arlington National Cemetery and Fort Myer. He also wrote historical plays about Virginia, a number of patriotic addresses, and a memoir of life in the Washington household.