National Republican., 1884-03-06
KENNETH RAYNER DEAD.
A Brief Sketch Of His Life and Character
His Sterling Honesty.

A Brief Sketch OF His Life and Character
His Sterling Honesty.
Hon. Kenneth Rayner, solicitor of the
treasury, died yesterday afternoon at o'clock,
at his rooms in tho National hotel. He was
in comatose condition for some hours before
his death, this condition being the result of
softening of the brain, produced by general
breakdown of the nervous system. Ho had
been ailing for somo time past. His last visit
to his office was last Friday evening, since
when he has boon confined to his bed. For
nearly fortnight previous to that time he
had boon complaining of neuralgia in the
back of his head, which prevented in great
measure his attention to his official duties, and
this trouble gradually increased.
Mr.. Rayner was born in BERTHE county,
North Carolina, May 2, 1910, and was in
his 74th year when he died. He entered
public life very early, being elected to the
State constitutional convention of 1892, when
but little more than 81 years of age. His
first speech was made in favor of the enfran-
chisement Of the Catholics, who, up to that
time, had been deprived of the right of suf-
frage under the old colonial charter of North
Carolina. In 1910 he was elected to congress
and was twice reelected. In 1912 he married
Susan $. Polk, daughter of
Col. William Polk, sister to Bishop
Polk, afterward Gen. Leondas Polk,
and cousin to President Polk. Singularly
enough, they began life together in the old
National hotel here, in the apartments adjoin-
ing the one in which he died. After leaving
congress Mr.. Raynor represented his district
for many years in the North Carolina legisla-
ture. In 1861 he was member of the con-
vention which took the state out of the
union. He opposed secession as principle,
but acquiesced in the decision of the ma jority
and followed the fortunes of his state in the
civil war.
After the close of the war Mr. Rayner be-
came conservative democrat and as such
was selected by President Hayes to represent
the state of North Carolina in the programme
of his famous southern policy. He is the
only one of those selections who held over
into the present administration.
Mr.. Rayner was known to all who came in
official contact with him as q man of the most
inhexible integrity and uuapproachable hon
esty. He was possessed of remarkable cour-
age, moral, mental, and physical, and as
charitable as he was brave. Various efforts
have been made to retire him from the So
licitorship of the treasury since the close of
President Hayes's term, but his reputation
for honesty and courage of opinion proved
superior to the clamor of place hunters, and
President Arthur steadily refused to displace
him. He had, therefore, held over by default
nearly three years after the expiration of his
term and died, as he had lived, in harness.
When Judge Raynor was made solicitor of
the treasury he had. through various misfor-
tunes, become impoverished, and was, more
over, heavily in debt. During all the years
that he has held the position he has religious
ly set apart much the greater part of his salary
for the payment of his Indebtedness, and at
the time of his death it was nearly or quite
Cancelled Reserving for himself only so
much as was actually necessary he may, from
his manner of living, have been considered
parsimonious by people not acquainted with
these facts. Knowing them, no man will re-
fuse to give his admiration to that strict hon
esty which made Judge Raynor do exact
justice to his creditors at tho expense Of his
| non-cOmfort.