[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 129 (Thursday, October 6, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2037-E2038]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF JOSEPH H. RAINEY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 6, 2005

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay homage to one of the 
most significant men in my life and in the Congressional history, John 
H. Rainey, the first African American to serve in the United States 
House of Representatives and the second Black U.S. Congressman. Without 
his courage, strength and will to represent the issues and concerns of 
the once voiceless community of freed slaves, I would not be what and 
who I am today.
  Joseph H. Rainey was born on June 21, 1832 in Georgetown, South 
Carolina. His parents were both slaves, but his father, Edward, had a 
successful business as a barber, enabling him to purchase his family's 
freedom shortly after Joseph Rainey's birth. As an adult, Rainey 
followed his father by becoming a barber. In 1861, with the outbreak of 
the American Civil War, Rainey was drafted by the Confederate 
government to,work on fortifications in Charleston, South Carolina, as 
well as to work as a laborer on blockade-runner ships. In 1862, he and 
his wife were able to escape to the West Indies. They settled in St. 
Georges, Bermuda, where Rainey continued to work as a barber for the 
duration of the war.
  In 1866, following the war's end, Rainey returned to South Carolina. 
He quickly involved himself in politics, joining the executive 
committee of the state Republican Party. In 1868, he was a delegate to 
the convention which wrote the state's new constitution. 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, B. Franklin Whittemore, was censured 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; he served until March 3, 1879, which 
made him the longest-serving black Congressmen prior to William L. 
Dawson in the 1950s.
  During his term in Congress, Rainey focused on supporting legislation 
to protect the

[[Page E2038]]

civil rights of Southern blacks. This pursuit eventually proved 
unsuccessful, with the end of Reconstruction effectively meaning that 
the black electorate lost all political power. In 1876, Rainey won re-
election against Democratic candidate John Smythe Richardson;
  Richardson however challenged the result as invalid on the grounds of 
intimidation by federal soldiers and black militias. Two years later, 
as the opponents of Reconstruction solidified their control over South 
Carolina politics; Rainey was defeated in a second contest with 
Richardson.
  After leaving Congress, Joseph Rainey was appointed internal-revenue 
agent of South Carolina. He held this position for two years, after 
which he began a career in private commerce. Rainey retired in 1886 and 
died the following year in Georgetown, the city in which he was born.
  Joseph H. Rainey set a standard which all U.S. Representatives should 
seek to emulate. His strength and courage was unparalleled, and his 
will and commitment to his people, his state and his country were 
admirable. Thank you, Mr. Rainey for paving the way for African 
Americans like me in Congress, and for reminding us that we too must 
continue the fight for true liberty and justice for all.

       The Honorable Chaka Fattah, Member of Congress and the 
     Honorable Robert W. Ney, Chairman, the House Fine Arts Board, 
     cordially invite you to the Official Unveiling of the 
     Portrait of the Honorable Joseph H. Rainey, the first 
     African-American to serve in the United States House of 
     Representatives, the Rayburn Foyer, Rayburn House Office 
     Building, Washington, D.C., Wednesday, September 21, 2005, 
     2:00 p.m.

                          ____________________