“L” is for Lee, Rudolph Edward (1876-1959)

“L” is for Lee, Rudolph Edward (1876-1959). Architect. Educator. For more than fifty years, Lee was virtually synonymous with the teaching and practice of architecture at Clemson College. In 1896, he was a member of the school’s first graduating class. After postgraduate work at Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania, in 1911 he was elected the official architect of Clemson. In 1915 his activities led to his appointment to the State Board of Architectural Examiners, a position he held for more than thirty years. He served as chairman of the board from 1933 to 1948. In the 1930s Lee also built the architecture program at Clemson and was named head of the Department of Architecture in 1935. Three academic buildings on the Clemson campus (Lee I, Lee II, and Lee III) are named to honor Rudolph Edward Lee.