Kenneth Rayner

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.

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).

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. From 1877 to 1884 he was Solicitor of the United States Treasury.

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

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