Lee was born on August 27, 1948, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In 1990, he was named Executive Director of the Milwaukee Jewish Council for Community Relations.
[citation needed] Before being elected to public office, Lee was a legislative assistant for U.S. Representative Henry S. Reuss.
He was succeeded in his Senate seat by Tom Barrett.
Lee is a Democrat, and frequently provides election analysis and commentary for many of Milwaukee's television and radio stations.