Dean Rainey was born in Norcross, Georgia, the son of Fred Eugene and Nora Ann Dean Rainey. He was educated at Furman University, receiving his LL.B. in 1927. He practiced in Greenville for 48 years and was President of the Greenville County Bar Association in 1958.
He married Margaret Smedes Rose; had one daughter, Margaret Rainey Rembert, and one son, Floyd Dean Rainey, Jr., who practiced law with him. He was a member of the Christ Episcopal Church and was Junior Warden from 1950–51. He was a member of the Green Valley Country Club and the Poinsett Club.
He served as Director and General Counsel of the South Carolina National Bank and was South Carolina Division Counsel for the Southern Railway System. He was a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers; Who’s Who in America; Director of the Greenville City Coach Lines, Inc.; and a member of the South Carolina and American Bar Associations and the National Association of Railroad Trial Counsel.
Courageous and determined, faithful to his high standards on honor and professionalism, he was a wise counselor and a skilled advocate; and was respecteed for his judgement, fairness and keen insight into human character. He was devoted to his family; a congenial companion and a gracious gentleman.