Joseph Rainey
Encyclopedia
Joseph Hayne Rainey was the first African American
to serve in the United States House of Representatives
, the second black person to serve in the United States Congress (U.S. Senator Hiram Revels was the first), the first African American to be directly elected to Congress (Revels was appointed), and the first black Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
. Born into slavery, he was freed in the 1840s by his father's purchasing his freedom and that of all his family.
in Georgetown, South Carolina
. He and his brother Edward were of mixed race; their mother Grace was of African and French
descent. His father Edward Rainey had been allowed to earn money by creating a successful business as a barber
(paying a portion of his income to his master.) He saved enough by the 1840s to purchase his freedom and that of his wife and sons. With education severely limited for blacks, as an adult Rainey followed his father by becoming a barber, an independent trade that enabled him to build a wide network in his community.
, Rainey was drafted by the Confederate government to work on fortifications in Charleston, South Carolina
. He also worked as a cook and laborer on blockade runner
ships.
In 1862, Rainey and his family escaped to Bermuda
. They settled in the town of St. George, Bermuda, where Rainey worked as a barber, while his wife became a successful dressmaker with a shop. In 1865, the couple moved to the town of Hamilton
when an outbreak of yellow fever
threatened St. George. Rainey worked at the Hamilton Hotel as a barber and a bartender, while becoming a respected member of the community. They made a prosperous life in Bermuda.
, where they settled in Charleston. His wealth helped establish him as a leader and he quickly became involved in politics, joining the executive committee of the state Republican Party
. In 1868, he was a delegate to the state constitutional convention.
In 1870, Rainey was elected to the State Senate
of South Carolina. Later that year, he was elected to fill a vacancy in the Forty-first Congress of the United States as a Republican. This vacancy had been created when the previous incumbent, Benjamin F. Whittemore
, was censure
d by the House for corruption and subsequently re-elected, after which the House refused to seat him.
Rainey was seated December 12, 1870 and was re-elected to Congress four times. Serving until March 3, 1879, he established a record of length of service for a black Congressman not surpassed until that of William L. Dawson in the 1950s.
With violence against blacks increasing in the South, in 1874 Rainey purchased a "summer home" in Windsor, Connecticut
. As a representative of South Carolina, Rainey could not have Windsor as a primary residence. He moved his family there and became an active member of the First Church of Windsor
. The "Joseph Rainey House", a c.1830 Greek Revival, is located at 299 Palisado Avenue (currently a private residence). It is one of 130 stops on the Connecticut Freedom Trail, established in 1996 to highlight the achievements of African Americans in gaining freedom and civil rights.
During his term in Congress, Rainey supported legislation to protect the civil rights
of Southern blacks, as well as to promote the southern economy. In May 1874, Rainey became the first African American to preside over the House of Representatives as Speaker pro tempore. In 1876, Rainey won re-election against Democratic
candidate John Smythe Richardson. Richardson challenged the result as invalid on the grounds of intimidation by federal soldiers and black militia
s.
Two years later, as white Democrats solidified their control over South Carolina politics, paramilitary
groups such as the Red Shirts acted as their military arm to suppress black voting; Rainey was defeated in a second contest with Richardson. After the end of Reconstruction and the white Democrats' regaining state power, they passed voter registration, electoral and primary laws, and constitutional amendments that effectively disfranchised most blacks, stripping them of political power.
After leaving Congress, Joseph Rainey was appointed as an agent of the US Treasury Department for internal revenue in South Carolina. He held this position for two years, after which he began a career in private commerce. He worked in brokerage and banking in Washington, DC for five years.
Rainey retired in 1886 and returned to South Carolina. He died the following year in Georgetown, the city in which he was born.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
to serve in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, the second black person to serve in the United States Congress (U.S. Senator Hiram Revels was the first), the first African American to be directly elected to Congress (Revels was appointed), and the first black Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
. Born into slavery, he was freed in the 1840s by his father's purchasing his freedom and that of all his family.
Early life and education
Joseph Hayne Rainey was born into slaverySlavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
in Georgetown, South Carolina
Georgetown, South Carolina
Georgetown is the third oldest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina and the county seat of Georgetown County, in the Low Country. Located on Winyah Bay at the confluence of the Great Pee Dee River, Waccamaw River, and Sampit River, Georgetown is the second largest seaport in South Carolina,...
. He and his brother Edward were of mixed race; their mother Grace was of African and French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
descent. His father Edward Rainey had been allowed to earn money by creating a successful business as a barber
Barber
A barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....
(paying a portion of his income to his master.) He saved enough by the 1840s to purchase his freedom and that of his wife and sons. With education severely limited for blacks, as an adult Rainey followed his father by becoming a barber, an independent trade that enabled him to build a wide network in his community.
Marriage and family
In 1859, Rainey went to Philadelphia, where he met and married Susan, from the West Indies and also of mixed race, French and African descent. They returned to South Carolina and eventually had three children: Joseph II, Herbert and Olivia.Civil War
In 1861, with the outbreak of the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Rainey was drafted by the Confederate government to work on fortifications in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
. He also worked as a cook and laborer on blockade runner
Blockade runner
A blockade runner is usually a lighter weight ship used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait, as opposed to confronting the blockaders to break the blockade. Very often blockade running is done in order to transport cargo, for example to bring food or arms to a blockaded city...
ships.
In 1862, Rainey and his family escaped to Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
. They settled in the town of St. George, Bermuda, where Rainey worked as a barber, while his wife became a successful dressmaker with a shop. In 1865, the couple moved to the town of Hamilton
Hamilton, Bermuda
Hamilton is the capital of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. It is the territory's financial centre and a major port and tourist destination.-Geography:...
when an outbreak of yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
threatened St. George. Rainey worked at the Hamilton Hotel as a barber and a bartender, while becoming a respected member of the community. They made a prosperous life in Bermuda.
Return to the US and politics
In 1866, following the war's end, Rainey and his family returned to South CarolinaSouth Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, where they settled in Charleston. His wealth helped establish him as a leader and he quickly became involved in politics, joining the executive committee of the state Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. In 1868, he was a delegate to the state constitutional convention.
In 1870, Rainey was elected to the State Senate
South Carolina Senate
The South Carolina Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives...
of South Carolina. Later that year, he was elected to fill a vacancy in the Forty-first Congress of the United States as a Republican. This vacancy had been created when the previous incumbent, Benjamin F. Whittemore
Benjamin F. Whittemore
Benjamin Franklin Whittemore was a U.S. Representative from South Carolina.-Biography:Born in Malden, Massachusetts, Whittemore attended the public schools of Worcester, and received an academic education at Amherst College....
, was censure
Censure
A censure is an expression of strong disapproval or harsh criticism. Among the forms that it can take are a stern rebuke by a legislature, a spiritual penalty imposed by a church, and a negative judgment pronounced on a theological proposition.-Politics:...
d by the House for corruption and subsequently re-elected, after which the House refused to seat him.
Rainey was seated December 12, 1870 and was re-elected to Congress four times. Serving until March 3, 1879, he established a record of length of service for a black Congressman not surpassed until that of William L. Dawson in the 1950s.
With violence against blacks increasing in the South, in 1874 Rainey purchased a "summer home" in Windsor, Connecticut
Windsor, Connecticut
Windsor is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, and was the first English settlement in the state. It lies on the northern border of Connecticut's capital, Hartford. The population was estimated at 28,778 in 2005....
. As a representative of South Carolina, Rainey could not have Windsor as a primary residence. He moved his family there and became an active member of the First Church of Windsor
First Church of Windsor
First Church in Windsor, Connecticut is the oldest Congregational church in Connecticut, tracing its beginnings to 1630 in Plymouth, England, where 140 men and women sailed on the Mary & John, the first of 17 ships of the so-called Winthrop Fleet bound for the colony of Massachusetts...
. The "Joseph Rainey House", a c.1830 Greek Revival, is located at 299 Palisado Avenue (currently a private residence). It is one of 130 stops on the Connecticut Freedom Trail, established in 1996 to highlight the achievements of African Americans in gaining freedom and civil rights.
During his term in Congress, Rainey supported legislation to protect the civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
of Southern blacks, as well as to promote the southern economy. In May 1874, Rainey became the first African American to preside over the House of Representatives as Speaker pro tempore. In 1876, Rainey won re-election against Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
candidate John Smythe Richardson. Richardson challenged the result as invalid on the grounds of intimidation by federal soldiers and black militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
s.
Two years later, as white Democrats solidified their control over South Carolina politics, paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
groups such as the Red Shirts acted as their military arm to suppress black voting; Rainey was defeated in a second contest with Richardson. After the end of Reconstruction and the white Democrats' regaining state power, they passed voter registration, electoral and primary laws, and constitutional amendments that effectively disfranchised most blacks, stripping them of political power.
After leaving Congress, Joseph Rainey was appointed as an agent of the US Treasury Department for internal revenue in South Carolina. He held this position for two years, after which he began a career in private commerce. He worked in brokerage and banking in Washington, DC for five years.
Rainey retired in 1886 and returned to South Carolina. He died the following year in Georgetown, the city in which he was born.
Further reading
- ”Joseph Hayne Rainey”, in Black Americans in Congress, 1870-2007, Office of History & Preservation, U. S. House of Representatives. Washington: Government Printing Office, 2008.; Holt, Thomas.
- “Rainey, Joseph Hayne”, in Dictionary of American Negro Biography, edited by Rayford W. Logan and Michael R. Winston. New York: Norton and Co., 1982.
External links
- Congressional biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States CongressBiographical Directory of the United States CongressThe Biographical Directory of the United States Congress is a biographical dictionary of all present and former members of the United States Congress as well as its predecessor, the Continental Congress...
- "Connecticut Freedom Trail", Official Website
- Joseph Rainey speech about the threat of the Ku Klux Klan, New York University Law School
- Joseph Rainey, photos