Thomas Raines (August 13, 1842 – August 12, 1924) was an American lawyer and politician.

Life

He was born on August 13, 1842, in

Canandaigua Canandaigua () is a city in Ontario County, New York, United States. Its population was 10,576 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Ontario County; some administrative offices are at the county complex in the adjacent town of Hopewell. ...

Ontario County, New York Ontario County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 112,458. The county seat is Canandaigua. The county is part of the Finger Lakes region of the state. Ontario County is pa ...

, the son of Rev. John Raines (1818–1877) and Mary (Remington) Raines (1815–1889). He was educated in Canandaigua and began his career as a store clerk in

Lyons Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

. At age 21, he became active in finance as one of the organizers of a new bank in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

. In 1867, he settled in Rochester and became Cashier of the "Farmers' and Mechanics' National Bank." He was

New York State Treasurer The New York State Treasurer was a state cabinet officer in the State of New York (state), New York between 1776 and 1926. During the re-organization of the state government under Governor Al Smith, the office was abolished and its responsibilities ...

from 1872 to 1875. He was elected at the

New York state election, 1871 The 1871 New York state election was held on November 7, 1871, to elect the Secretary of State, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, the State Treasurer, the State Engineer, a Canal Commissioner and an Inspector of State Prisons, a ...

on the Republican ticket, became a Liberal Republican in 1872, and was re-elected at the

New York state election, 1873 The 1873 New York state election was held on November 4, 1873, to elect the Secretary of State, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, the State Treasurer, the State Engineer, a Canal Commissioner and an Inspector of State Prisons, as ...

on the Democratic ticket. In May 1874, he suffered a nervous breakdown. He was described in contemporary news accounts as a "raving lunatic", being "stark mad", and suffering from "religious frenzy". He was declared incapacitated, and sent to the Utica State Asylum for treatment. On June 1, 1874, Abraham Lansing was appointed by Governor

John Adams Dix John Adams Dix (July 24, 1798 – April 21, 1879) was an American politician and military officer who was Secretary of the Treasury, Governor of New York and Union major general during the Civil War. He was notable for arresting the pro-Southe ...

as Acting Treasurer, pending Raines's recovery or a decision by the State Legislature which would convene only next January. After recovering his mental health, Raines was reinstated to the Treasury by Governor Dix on August 19, 1874.''THE STATE TREASURY''
in the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' on August 20, 1874 Afterwards Raines studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1879, and practiced law in Rochester. In 1883, he was appointed as a special county judge of Monroe County. In 1911, he was President of the Monroe County Bar Association. Raines died on August 12, 1924, in

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

; and was buried at the Mount Hope Cemetery there. Congressman

John Raines John Raines (May 6, 1840 – December 16, 1909) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He authored the 1896 Raines Law, which prohibited liquor sales on Sundays, except in hotels, which had the unintended consequence of fostering p ...

(1840–1909) and State Senator

George Raines George Raines (November 10, 1846 – November 27, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. Life He was in Pultneyville, New York to Rev. John Raines and Mary (Remington) Raines. He attended the common schools and Elmira Free ...

(1846–1908) were his brothers.

Works

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Raines, Thomas 1842 births 1924 deaths New York state treasurers Politicians from Rochester, New York New York state court judges Politicians from Canandaigua, New York New York (state) Republicans New York (state) Liberal Republicans New York (state) Democrats Burials at Mount Hope Cemetery (Rochester) Lawyers from Rochester, New York 19th-century American lawyers