Photograph and signature of Paul J Rainey

Paul James Rainey (September 18, 1877 – September 18, 1923) was an American businessman, philanthropist, hunter, and photographer.

Biography

Paul James Rainey was born September 18, 1877, in Cleveland, Ohio, the fifth of Eleanor Beatty (née Mitchell) and William J. Rainey's five children. Scion of a wealthy family whose fortune came from coal and coke production, Rainey earned a reputation as a

playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...

. He invested in numerous personal projects, including his Tippah Lodge in Mississippi, a hotel, prize horses, and private railroad cars. Although he owned other residences, he favored Tippah Lodge, his sprawling estate in rural

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

."Paul J. Rainey Estate – Tippah Lodge," http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mstippah/Raineyestate.html. Retrieved October 20, 2009. Rainey was active with the

American Geographical Society The American Geographical Society (AGS) is an organization of professional geographers, founded in 1851 in New York City. Most fellows of the society are Americans, but among them have always been a significant number of fellows from around the ...

, American Museum of Natural History, the

New York Zoological Society New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

, and the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

, among other organizations. Rejected by the military for health reasons, Rainey purchased an ambulance and drove it on the Western Front during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

African expedition film

After the war, Rainey hunted big game in Africa. Rainey and his team filmed some of the earliest film footage of African animals in the wild. In 1912, a six-reel documentary film ''Paul J. Rainey's African Hunt'' was released. Rainey's silent film grossed over a half-million dollars (), an extraordinary sum for an early motion picture. It was one of the most successful non-fiction films of the decade. Rainey's safari team included a photographer and a taxidermist from the

. The success of Rainey's films led to a boom in expedition and nature films. These were silent films, so many of these films were at first presented by a lecturer in a lyceum-like context. The

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

has a copy of the film in its paper print collection. Producer Joseph P. Bickerton, Jr. organized the Jungle Film Corporation to buy and commercialize Rainey's African hunt footage. These films were the first motion pictures to be produced at regular theater prices and were successful in the U.S. and abroad.Meet JP Bickerton, Jr. ''The New York Times''. September 11, 1932

Death and burial

He died on his forty-sixth birthday in 1923 of a cerebral hemorrhage. The death occurred while Rainey was en route from England to South Africa, where he had planned to hunt. He was

buried at sea Burial at sea is the disposal of human remains in the ocean, normally from a ship or boat. It is regularly performed by navies, and is done by private citizens in many countries. Burial-at-sea services are conducted at many different location ...

Legacy

After his death, Rainey's family set aside 26,000 acres (110 km²) of his marshland as a wildfowl refuge. Located in coastal

south Louisiana The Port of South Louisiana (french: Port de la Louisiane du Sud) extends 54 miles (87 km) along the Mississippi River between New Orleans, Louisiana and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, centering approximately at LaPlace, Louisiana, which serves as ...

, the refuge, known as the

Paul J. Rainey Wildlife Sanctuary The Paul J. Rainey Wildlife Sanctuary is a refuge owned by the National Audubon Society in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana. Established in 1924,

, is owned by the National Audubon Society. His sister commissioned the Rainey Memorial Gates at the

Bronx Zoo The Bronx Zoo (also historically the Bronx Zoological Park and the Bronx Zoological Gardens) is a zoo within Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York. It is one of the largest zoos in the United States by area and is the largest metropolitan zoo in ...

Bronx Park Bronx Park is a public park along the Bronx River, in the Bronx, New York City. The park is bounded by Southern Boulevard to the southwest, Webster Avenue to the northwest, Gun Hill Road to the north, Bronx Park East to the east, and East 180 ...

, New York City, as a memorial.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rainey, Paul J. 1877 births 1923 deaths American businesspeople American hunters American philanthropists Burials at sea

Biography

African expedition film

Death and burial

Legacy

See also

Further reading

References