Lee attended the University of Rochester before moving to California, where he would serve as the sales director for Microtek Labs, a testing facility.

Lee returned to New York in 1995, helping build his father's business, Enidine Inc., into a large engineering firm. He worked in sales and developing overseas markets. The firm's name was eventually changed to International Motion Control Corp. and was sold to ITT Corp. in 2007.

2008 House Bid

When then-Rep. Thomas Reynolds (R-N.Y.) announced his retirement in 2008, Erie County Republican Chairman Jim Domagalski approached Lee, who was touted as a businessman who could finance his own campaign. Though other party leaders backed Rick Lewis, another businessman, the party coalesced around Lee, who had Reynolds' support.

Lee officially announced his bid in April 2008 by telling a group of supporters that he wasn't "a career politician. I am a local businessman with over 20 years of experience who has seen firsthand what is required to create jobs and provide real solutions to the issues Western New Yorkers face." Lee ended up running unopposed in the primary.

Democrats were preparing for a hard-fought general election, but those plans were upended when retired lawyer Alice Kryzan (D) became the nominee over Jon Powers (D), an Iraq war veteran who had the backing of labor unions, the local party and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. The DCCC downgraded their efforts in the district, though still poured $1.5 million into Kryzan's campaign.

Lee was also aided by a federal appeals court decision that forced the Working Families Party to keep its original nominee, Powers, on the ballot despite efforts to replace him with Kryzan.

In the general election, Lee took 55 percent of the vote to 41 percent for Kryzan and four percent for Powers.

Craiglist Scandal and Resignation

Lee suddenly resigned in February 2011 after the web site Gawker printed a story alleging that he had exchanged flirtatious emails with a woman on Craigslist. According to Gawker, a woman was looking for a "financially and emotionally secure" man on the dating section of Craiglist when a "divorced" "lobbyist" named Christopher Lee replied, using a Gmail account later confirmed to belong to Rep. Christopher Lee.

In an email printed by the publication, Lee called himself a "very fit fun classy guy" and "promise[d] not to disappoint."

Lee also sent the woman a picture of himself shirtless flexing his muscles from his Blackberry. The woman, a government worker from Maryland, Googled Lee before accepting a date; when she discovered his true identity, she forwarded the emails to Gawker.

At first, Lee claimed his email account had been hacked. But shortly thereafter, the congressman resigned.

"I regret the harm that my actions have caused my family, my staff and my constituents," Lee said in a statement, without specifically admitting any guilt. "I deeply and sincerely apologize to them all. I have made profound mistakes and I promise to work as hard as I can to seek their forgiveness."

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