Lee was born on 22 November 1779 at Graemeshills, Torwoodlee Mains, a farm in the parish of
Stow in the
Scottish Borders, the son of Helen Paterson and James Lee, a weaver. He attended school at the "luggie" in
Clovenfords, his teacher was
John Leyden. In 1794, he entered the
University of Edinburgh, studying medicine, and supported himself by teaching. In 1801, he graduated with an MD. After serving for a short time as a surgeon/apothecary in an army hospital service he started studying law. However, in 1804 he became
amanuensis (literary assistant) to the Rev.
Alexander Carlyle ("Jupiter Carlyle") in
Inveresk. On his death in 1805, Carlyle who gave Lee the manuscript of his autobiography. Lee was licensed by the Presbytery of
Dalkeith as a
Church of Scotland minister in 1804 but failed to find a patron. In 1812 he was appointed Professor of Divinity and Ecclesiastical History at
St Mary's College, St Andrews, and was there also chosen as Rector of the college. In 1820 he became
Professor of Moral Philosophy in
King's College, Aberdeen, but his lectures there were mostly delivered by a deputy. He continued to lecture at the
University of St Andrews intending to travel regularly between the two, however, he had a change of heart following a near-fatal accident when his coach overturned en route to Aberdeen. In 1821, Lee resigned both professorships and, aided by the granting of an honorary Doctor of Divinity from the University of St Andrews, and accepted a position as minister of the
Canongate Church in
Edinburgh. He was elected a Fellow of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1822, his proposer being
George Forbes. He served the Society as their Literary Councillor (1823-6) and as the Vice-President (1842–1859). When the
Disruption of 1843 took place, Lee remained in the established
Church of Scotland. He undertook to conduct the divinity class, and was shortly afterwards was made Professor of Divinity in succession to
Thomas Chalmers, holding this office concurrently with his principalship. He was elected
Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1844. Lee died in his lodgings at New College at the
University of Edinburgh on 2 May 1859. He is buried in the south-west section of
St Cuthberts Churchyard in
Edinburgh, next to the Balfour Paul monument. ==Family==