Raines law Raines law The Raines law, authored by John Raines, was passed on March 23, 1896, by the New York State Legislature. It was nominally a liquor tax, but its intention was to curb the consumption of alcohol by imposing regulations. Among other provisions, it prohibited the sale of alcoholic beverages on Sunday except in hotels. Most men worked a six-day week, and Sunday was the only full day for drinking at saloons. Under the law, however, hotels were allowed to serve liquor on Sunday, to guests only, if it was served during a meal or in the bedrooms of the
Thomas Raines 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. 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; and was buried at the Mount Hope Cemetery there. Congressman John Raines (1840–1909) and State Senator George Raines (1846–1908) were his brothers. Thomas Raines