Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1941-05-22

what happened to suburban real
estate around every city in the
United States knows that mar
who had started as large a series
of suburban developments al
Brooke Lee then had under way al
Silver Spring had all and more
than anyone could do. Brooke Lee
was faced then with the necessity
of giving up public Office to worl
to save his private real estate
business and those connected there
with.
AS far as can make out, Brooke
Lee saved financially everyone con.
pected with that business except
himself. Certainly Silver Spring
was not hurt and do not know OF
anyone else who appears to have
been hurt except Brooke Lee him.
self financially. Here again
Brooke Lee was the last man to
leave the trenches, and no one can
say that he has ever run under
fire.
Consequently, in 1884, he re-
signed as member of the State
Roads Commission, as a member OF
the Board of Regents of the Uni
versity of Maryland, and as a
member of the State War Memo
rial Commission, and devoted him.
self for the next several years to
his private business in Silver
Spring.
People who want a line on
Brooke Lee should study this list
Of offices. They were all import
ant, they all built things, and none
of them carried any salary. Since
Lee left the State Roads Commits
sion, the Maryland Legislature has
changed the law to give the asso-
ciate members salaries of $4,000 a
year and an automobile. When he
served, the associate members were
unpaid.
AS further information concern
ing Brooke Lee, while he was
chairman of the Maryland War
Memorial Commission, working
with Colonel Harry C. Jones as
chairman of the Baltimore City
War Memorial Commission and
Captain C. O'Donnell (now vice :
mayor of Baltimore) as vice-chair-
man, the Commission built the
magnificent War Memorial build
ing in Baltimore City which is
certainly one of the finest build
ings ever erected in the State of
Maryland.
When Brooke Lee resigned from
these three important Offices, Gov
ernor Albert C. Richie said, as
quoted in the Baltimore Sun and
Washington Star of that date:
Brooke Lee has been and is now
the best friend l have ever had. No
one could possibly have been more
loyal than he has been at all times.
cannot see him give up the State
offices he holds without the most
sincere and genuine regrets.
"There is not the slightest
break in our political or personal
friendship. That will always con-
tinue as it has always existed
through the past. cannot, how
ever, disregard the personal rea.
sens and necessities which Major
Lee feels compels him to retire
from public Office at this time.
II hope at some later date he
will beable to resume his public
activities, for which I think he is
SO well fitted"
When Brooke Lee resigned from
these offices in 1884, here is what
the Washington Post said in an
editorial headed "E. Brooke Lee
This editorial was written after
fifteen years of his political and
civic activity in Montgomery Coun.
ty and the State of Maryland by a
newspaper then owned by a vigor.
GUS Republican.
Editorial From The Washington
Post, January 10, 1885,
Major E. Brooke Lees Is years
of political leadership in Montgom-
cry County has earned him the
reputation of being, as one of his
friends puts it, "a dynamo in
breeches." Indeed, the citizens of
Montgomery County have come to
regard him as the moving spirit of
nearly every political and civic
undertaking within its borders.
although Major Lee is still a
young man, he has been the domi-
nant influence in Montgomery
County affairs since 1919, when he
was elected State Comptroller. He
has served in the Maryland Legis-
lature and, during two terms, was
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
For two years he was Secretary of
State at Annapolis. Throughout
Governor Ritchie's long service as
Chief Executive, Major Lee has
been one of his closest friends and
advisers. At present, he is a
member of the State Roads Com
mission, for which he serves as
spokesman.
"All of the aforementioned acti-
vities tended to draw Major Lee
away from Montgomery County,
but his interest in the community
where his ancestors have lived and
died for several generations has