Joseph Hayne Rainey

Born: June 21, 1832 in Georgetown, South Carolina

Died: August 1, 1887 in Georgetown, South Carolina

United States Representative, 1870–1879

Republican from South Carolina

• The first African American in the House of Representatives and the second in the U..S. Congress, he served for nearly a decade (1870-79), the longest-serving African American in Congress until the 1950s. 
• Born a slave in Georgetown, South Carolina, Rainey’s father was able to buy freedom for himself and his family in the early 1840s. 
• During the Civil War, Rainey was forced to work for the Confederate States of America building fortifications and serving as a steward on vessels called blockade-runners. He and his wife were able to escape from the Confederates on one of the ships that traveled to Bermuda. After the war, Rainey returned to South Carolina and got involved in Republican politics.
• Rainey, a businessman before he was a politician, maintained an active interest in investments during his career. 
• Rainey died of congestive fever on August 1, 1887 at the age of 55.
• On December 10, 2020, the House of Representatives passed H.Res.1253 honoring former Congressman Joseph H. Rainey. Congressman Tom Rice (R-SC) co-sponsored H. Res.1253 with Speaker Pelosi, Leader McCarthy, and Majority Whip Clyburn. This legislation named room H-150 in the US Capitol after Joseph Rainey, the first African American Congressman, to honor the 150th Anniversary of his swearing in.

Joseph Hayne Rainey

1875

Carte De Visite Collection

Photographs and Prints Division

NYPL Digital Collections: Portrait of Joseph Rainey (Joseph Hayne Rainey).