Captain George Graham (May 16, 1770 – August 9, 1830), a Virginia planter, lawyer, soldier and politician became an early federal government bureaucrat.

[6][7] He and Thomas Mason were then sent to a newly established school in Fredericksburg, of which his benefactor's cousin John Mercer was on the Board of Trustees, before George Graham was sent to New York to complete his higher studies at Columbia College.

Meanwhile, this George Graham moved to the Lexington plantation in nearby Fairfax County, which his wife had selected as her share of her first husband's estate.

[16] Fairfax County voters elected Graham and fellow lawyer Thomson Mason[17] to the House of Delegates in 1808, although neither won re-election.

[19] During the War of 1812, Graham followed his family's tradition, volunteered to serve as captain of a cavalry company, sometimes called the Fairfax Light Horse or Dragoons.

[20][21] British ships anchored off Quantico Creek during the war, although local legend claimed a providential gale saved Dumfries from burning similar to that of the new national capital.

[24] Following the conflict, following his younger brother John Graham's precedent (President Jefferson having sent him to the newly acquired Louisiana Territory as secretary and President Madison having made him chief clerk to the Secretary of State, James Monroe, who also headed the War Department),[25] the widower George Graham accepted a position with the War Department, and rose to become its Chief Clerk following the resignation of General Armstrong.

[27] Outside of his Cabinet service, Graham may be best known for a mission to Galveston Island, Texas to persuade the small Bonapartist colony of Champ d'Asile (headed by General Charles Lallemand) to accept American jurisdiction.

[8] Graham fell ill with acute dysentery on his return trip from Champ d'Asile, but was healed by Atakapa natives.

[29] Following his federal service, Graham became president of the Washington branch of the troubled Bank of the United States (1819–1823), and closed the "Indian factorage" matter, which saved the government considerable money ($113,000 being transferred into the Treasury).