Arthur Carl Lee Photograph Collection

Arthur Carl "A. C." Lee was born in Anderson, S.C., on September 3, 1886. His brother, William States Lee Jr., founded Duke Power Company. Lee received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Clemson College (1908), which later bestowed an honorary degree upon him (1928), and an M.S. from Cornell University (1910). Lee began his career with Anderson Water, Light and Power Company, working in its construction and engineering organization, as well as virtually all Duke Power subsidiaries (1910-27). He oversaw the construction of the Piedmont and Northern Railway. Lee served as resident engineer in charge of construction on nearly all hydroelectric developments and steam plants of Duke Power prior to 1927. After 1927, oversaw all layout, planning, and construction work at Duke University. In 1933, Lee became president and treasurer of Lee Construction Company and board chair for Lee Engineering Corporation. He married Nellie Watkins in 1913 and they had three children. Lee died in Charlotte on July 17, 1974. [For additional information, see Dictionary of North Carolina Biography (Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1991): 4:42-43.]