Kaine Introduces Bill to Redesignate Arlington House National Historic Site

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced legislation to redesignate the site known as "Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial" to its original name, "Arlington House." The bill would repeal statutes that memorialized Lee and add a formal historic site designation to the name, making it "the Arlington House National Historic Site."

"The names of our national sites hold significance and should honor individuals whom we can all look up to," said Kaine. "That's why I'm introducing this legislation to remove Robert E. Lee's name from Arlington House. During Black History Month, we recommit to restoring the original name to better tell the whole history of the house and reflect our nation's values."

The mansion is on federal land within Arlington National Cemetery and is administered by the National Park Service. The house was built by Martha Custis Washington's grandson, George Washington Parke Custis, as the nation's first memorial to George Washington, and named "Arlington House." Later, Custis' daughter 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. In 1955, Congress passed legislation designating the house the "Custis-Lee Mansion" to memorialize Lee, and subsequently amended the official title to "Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial." The legislation was originally inspired by the request of descendants of people who were enslaved at Arlington House.

Full text of the legislation is available here. Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representative Don Beyer (D-VA-08).

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