Alice Lee

Alice Finch Lee (September 11, 1911 – November 17, 2014) was an American lawyer and lay leader in the United Methodist Church. One of the first female lawyers in Alabama, she was the sister of author Harper Lee and helped her manage publicity requests. Due to her life's work and sister, she was described as "Atticus Finch in a skirt." She was the eldest of the Lee children. Her sister, Nelle Harper Lee, was fifteen years her junior. Lee attended Monroe County High School, graduating at sixteen. She also served on the board of directors and as attorney for the Monroe County Bank.

Lee continued to make strides in the local public and religious fields. She was the first woman to serve on the Monroeville City Planning Commission, the first woman to chair the West Florida Council on Ministries in the Methodist Church, the first woman to chair the board of directors of the United Methodist Children's Home, and a charter member of the Alabama/West Florida United Methodist Foundation board of directors.

Lee was also active regionally and nationally in the United Methodist Church. She became the secretary of the Episcopacy Committee for the Southeastern Jurisdiction, serving for eight years. She was on the General Council on Ministries for eight years as well and served on the executive committee. She was one of the few women on the Tri-Conference Committee on Merger, which combined two mostly white and one black denomination into the current organization. As issues concerning racism continued and black clergy were not always paid the same as their white counterparts, she raised funds to make up for the differences in salary. When Harper Lee left the public eye, Alice took on the role of rejecting publicity requests on her behalf.

Lee retired at 100, making her the oldest practicing lawyer in the state. Lee died on 17 November 2014.

Awards

1984: honorary Doctorate of Laws, Huntingdon College 1987: Citizen of the Year, Monroeville Kiwanis Club 1992: the Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church established the Alice Lee Award 2003: Maud McClure Kelly Award, Alabama Bar Association 2004: Special honor, Alabama Bar Association 2012: Alabama Academy of Honor 2023: Alabama Women's Hall of Fame