Thomas Bee (1739, Charleston, South Carolina – February 18, 1812, Pendleton, South Carolina) was an American planter, lawyer, and jurist from Charleston, South Carolina. He served as the sixth Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina (1779–1780) and was a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1780 to 1782. He later served as a judge in the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina from 1790 until his death. His son was Barnard E. Bee, Sr., and his great-grandson was U.S. Representative Carlos Bee.
Bee attended Oxford University, and then read law in 1761 for admission to the bar. He set up a law practice, but was often called away from it in the name of public service. He served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1762 to 1765, and again from 1772 to 1779, 1781 to 1782, and 1786 to 1788. He rose to the level of Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives in January and February 1779 before leaving the legislature to serve as Lieutenant Governor of the state. From 1788 to 1790, he was in the South Carolina Senate.
He was nominated by President George Washington on June 11, 1790, to a seat vacated by William Drayton on the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina. Three days later, Bee was confirmed by the United States Senate and received his commission. He remained in that office until his death. In 1801, Bee was nominated and confirmed as chief judge of the Fifth Circuit Court as part of President Adams' midnight judges, but he declined the office.
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| Preceded by William Drayton |
Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina June 14, 1790 – February 18, 1812 |
Succeeded by John Drayton |