Kenneth Rayner

American politician

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Kenneth Rayner

19th Solicitor of the United States Treasury
In office
July 1, 1877 – March 5, 1884
President| Rutherford B. Hayes
James A. Garfield
Chester A. Arthur
Grover Cleveland
Preceded by| George F. Talbot
Succeeded by| Henry S. Neal
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from North Carolina
In office
March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1845
Preceded by| Samuel Tredwell Sawyer
Succeeded by| Asa Biggs
Constituency| 1st district (1839–43)
9th district (1843–45)
Personal details
Born| June 20, 1808
Bertie County, North Carolina, U.S.
Died| March 5, 1884 (aged 75)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political party| Whig

Kenneth Rayner (June 20, 1808 – March 5, 1884) was an American lawyer and politician who served three terms as a Whig U.S. Congressman from North Carolina between 1839 and 1845.[1]

## Early life and career

[edit]

Born in Bertie County, North Carolina, Rayner attended Tarborough Academy, then studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1829. Rayner moved to Hertford County, where he practiced law.

## U.S. House

[edit]

In 1835, Rayner was a delegate to the state Constitutional Convention; he served terms in the North Carolina House of Commons in 1835 and 1836 before being elected to the U.S. Congress in 1838. He served three terms as a Whig, in the 26th, 27th, and 28th Congresses (March 4, 1839 – March 3, 1845).

## Life after Congress

[edit]

Rayner did not run for a fourth term in 1844. He then returned to the State House, serving in 1846, 1848, and 1850. He was then elected to the North Carolina Senate in 1854. In the 1860 United States presidential election, he would support and campaign for the Constitutional Union Party ticket of John Bell and Edward Everett, who would go on to lose the election to Abraham Lincoln.

In 1871 Rayner was appointed by President Grant as one of the court commissioners to settle the Alabama Claims.[citation needed] From 1877 to 1884 he was Solicitor of the United States Treasury.

## Death

[edit]

Rayner died in Washington, D.C., on March 5, 1884, and is buried in Raleigh, North Carolina.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Jordan, John R. (1994). "Kenneth Rayner". NCPedia. Retrieved September 24, 2019.

## External links

[edit]

* United States Congress. "Kenneth Rayner (id: R000087)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

U.S. House of Representatives

Preceded by

Samuel T. Sawyer

|  Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from North Carolina's 1st congressional district
1839–1843  | Succeeded by

Thomas L. Clingman

Preceded by

Augustine H. Shepperd

|  Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from North Carolina's 9th congressional district
1843–1845  | Succeeded by

Asa Biggs

Legal offices
Preceded by

George F. Talbot

|  Solicitor of the United States Treasury
1877–1884  | Succeeded by

Henry S. Neal

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