Hawaiian State Holiday - March 26th
The Prince of the people
Born on March 26, 1871 Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole was prince of the reigning House of Kalakaua when the Kingdom of Hawaii was overthrown in 1893.
Prince Kuhio was raised in Koloa on the island of Kauai, and attended the Royal School on Oahu, originally called the Chief's Children School. He studied for four years at St. Matthew's College in California, the royal Agricultural College in England, and then eventually graduated from a business school also in England.
Upon the assumption of the Kalakaua dynasty to the throne of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1884, a proclamation ending the Kamehameha Dynasty also declared Kuhio a royal prince. King David Kalakaua, also Kuhio's uncle, then appointed him to a seat in the royal Cabinet administering the Department of the Interior. However, American businessmen overthrew the Hawaiian kingdom in 1893. A year later, Kuhio and brother Kawananakoa joined other native Hawaiians in an attempt to restore the monarchy. The attempt was unsuccessful, and Prince Kuhio was sentenced to a year in prison while others were executed for treason against the republic. After getting out of prison, Kuhio left Hawaii and traveled in South Africa for a few years, vowing never to return to a Hawaii that appeared inhospitable to Hawaiians. During his time away from home, he joined the British Army to fight in the Boer War.
After returning home, Hawaii had already been annexed as territory of the United States. Had the Hawaiian monarchy continued, Prince Kuhio probably would have become King of Hawaii upon the death of Queen Liliuokalani. Instead, he was elected as Hawaii's congressional delegate for 10 consecutive terms.
Continue reading this article HERE at aloha-hawaii.com
Photo Credit: Courtesy Hawaii State Archives
Upon the assumption of the Kalakaua dynasty to the throne of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1884, a proclamation ending the Kamehameha Dynasty also declared Kuhio a royal prince. King David Kalakaua, also Kuhio's uncle, then appointed him to a seat in the royal Cabinet administering the Department of the Interior. However, American businessmen overthrew the Hawaiian kingdom in 1893. A year later, Kuhio and brother Kawananakoa joined other native Hawaiians in an attempt to restore the monarchy. The attempt was unsuccessful, and Prince Kuhio was sentenced to a year in prison while others were executed for treason against the republic. After getting out of prison, Kuhio left Hawaii and traveled in South Africa for a few years, vowing never to return to a Hawaii that appeared inhospitable to Hawaiians. During his time away from home, he joined the British Army to fight in the Boer War.
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