“In symbol and in substance, African American representation in the U.S. Congress is a continuing milestone towards a more perfect union.  In recognizing the legacy of the first African American in Congress, we inspire future generations to serve,” said Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA) who led the effort for the House Administration Committee to make this decision.

“Out of the hundreds of portraits in the U.S. Capitol, we are finally getting this long overdue acknowledgement of the first African American House Member,” said Congressman Fattah.  “I want to thank Chairman Ney and former Ranking Member Hoyer for their support in making this happen.”

 Representative Joseph H. Rainey (1832 - 1887) was drafted by the Confederacy during the Civil War, but escaped to Bermuda, where slavery was illegal.  After the war, Rainey moved back to Georgetown, SC, and became a member of the South Carolina Republican Party executive committee.  After representing Georgetown at the 1868 South Carolina Constitutional Convention, he was elected to the state senate in 1870.

Rainey was elected in a special election to represent the First District of South Carolina in the United States House of Representatives.  On December 12, 1870, he was sworn in as a Member of the Forty-first Congress and soon joined the Committee on Freedmen's Affairs.  He used his position to advocate an end to racial discrimination and using the military to protect black voters from violence perpetuated by the Ku Klux Klan.

Rainey remained in office through the Forty-third Congress and eventually became a member of the Indian Affairs Committee.  During a debate on a related appropriations bill, Rainey replaced then Speaker James Blaine as chair and presided over a House session, becoming the first African-American to do so.  Rainey served until 1878.