5 Days
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.
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.