There were several notable enslaved people of Mount Vernon, established by George Washington in Fairfax County, Virginia prior to the American Revolutionary War. There is a diverse history of the African Americans from Mount Vernon. William Costin successfully challenged District of Columbia slave codes. Oney Judge and Hercules Posey were chefs at the President's House; with Posey the head chef. William Lee (valet) who was frequently by George Washington's side, was one of the most publicized enslaved people in Colonial America. Sarah Johnson lived as an enslaved and a free person on Mount Vernon, who lived there over 50 years and became a farm owner and a member of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association.