Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana’ole – The Citizen Prince
March 26, 1871 – January 7, 1922
Kūhiō was often called Ke Ali’i Maka’āinana (Prince of the People) and is revered in Hawai’i for his efforts to preserve and strengthen the Hawaiian people.
Early Life
Kūhiō’s parents were influential and wealthy people of noble descent. Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana‘ole was born on March 26, 1871, in the Kōloa District of Kaua‘i to High Chief David Kahalepouli Pi‘ikoi and Princess Kinoiki Kekaulike, the youngest daughter of Kaumuali‘i, the last King of Kaua‘i. By age 13, he was named a Prince by a royal proclamation from his Uncle, King Kalākaua.
Education
Kūhiō received his initial formal education at the Royal School and O’ahu College (later known as Punahou School). At 15, he and his royal brothers continued their education abroad at St. Matthew’s Military Academy in San Mateo, California, where, during a summer break in 1886, they introduced the sport of surfing to the west coast of the United States. The boys returned home after two years in America when Edward fell sick. Edward died at ʻIolani Palace soon after returning home. Tragedy once again struck when, in January 1891, the Prince’s adoptive father, the ruling Sovereign of Hawai‘i, died unexpectedly.
Overthrow and Exile
Following the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom Government in 1893, Prince Kūhiō joined revolutionaries in an effort to restore the monarchy. The revolution was unsuccessful, and Kūhiō was charged with treason and imprisoned for a year. He was released when Queen Lili‘uokalani agreed to abdicate her throne in exchange for pardoning those who had led the revolt. When he was released, Kūhiō married Chiefess Elizabeth Kahanu Ka‘auwai.
Kūhiō and his wife then left the islands in a self-imposed exile and traveled through Europe. They traveled to Africa, where Kūhiō took part in the Boer War on the side of the British.
An Advocate for His People
Prince Kūhiō returned to Hawaii in the Fall of 1901 and became the Republican candidate for delegate to Congress. He served as a non-voting delegate from Hawai‘i to the House of Representatives in Congress from 1902 until he died in 1922. He is the only person in American history with two essentially conflicting titles — royal prince and democratically elected congressman. Even in Washington, D.C., in a country known for its uneasy relationship with monarchy, he was known as The Prince.
Some of Prince Kūhiō’s significant accomplishments include a $27 million appropriation for dredging and construction of Pearl Harbor, the Hilo wharf, the establishment of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, Kilauea National Park, and construction of a hospital at the Kalaupapa Settlement on Moloka’i for lepers.
As a statesman, Kūhiō shaped the foundation for Hawai‘i’s modern government structure. He was responsible for introducing the county system still used today, and he sponsored the first bill for Hawai‘i‘s statehood in 1919.
The Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920 intended to return native Hawaiians to the land while encouraging them to become self-sufficient on leased parcels of trust land.
Kūhiō wrote to U.S. Senators before its passage, “After extensive investigation and survey on the part of various organizations organized to rehabilitate the Hawaiian race, it was found that the only method in which to rehabilitate the race was to place them back upon the soil.”
With the passage of this bill, the United States set aside approximately 200,000 acres of land to establish a permanent homeland for native Hawaiians, who were identified as a “landless and dying” people as the result of disease, intermarriage, and loss of lands. When British Captain James Cook and his crew of sailors first arrived in Hawaii in 1778, they estimated the population of the islands at perhaps 800,000. As a result of the diseases introduced by those sailors, there were only about 51,000 Hawaiians left by the time Kūhiō was born.
Honoring a Trailblazer
March 26th is designated “Prince Kūhiō Day. Kūhiō represented the line of Hawaiian ali’i (royalty) who had survived the overthrow of the monarchy and served his people well. Across the islands, there will be celebrations of his achievements and parades in his honor.
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