Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole

Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole, born on March 26, 1871, in Kukuiʻula, Kōloa, Kauaʻi, Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, was a pivotal figure in Hawaiian history. His full Hawaiian name, Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole, carried significant meaning; "Kūhiō" translated to "Chief who leaned forward as he stood," and "Kalanianaʻole" meant "ambitious Chief," or "Chief who is never satisfied." He was often affectionately known as Ke Aliʻi Makaʻāinana, the "Prince of the People," a title reflecting his deep commitment to his Hawaiian heritage and people. He was also known by the nickname "Prince Cupid" due to a French school teacher's observation of his merry eyes and perpetual smile during his youth. [1]

His lineage was complex, as was common among Hawaiian aliʻi. He was an heir of Kaumualiʻi, the last ruling chief of Kauaʻi. Kūhiō's maternal grandfather was Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole, a High Chief of Hilo, and his paternal grandfather was Jonah Piʻikoi, a High Chief of Kauaʻi. Orphaned after his father, David Kahalepouli Piʻikoi, died in 1878 and his mother, Victoria Kinoiki Kekaulike, died in 1884, he was adopted through the traditional Hawaiian practice of _hānai_ by King David Kalākaua's wife, Queen Kapiʻolani, who was his maternal aunt. This adoption made him a Prince of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi and placed him within the House of Kalākaua. He had two brothers, Kawānanakoa and Keliʻiahonui. Kūhiō married Elizabeth Kahanu Kaʻauwai, and they had one daughter, Princess Maude Kanaka Kalanianaʻole, born in 1894, who was given to an honorable family in a private adoption after the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. [1]

Prince Kūhiō received a comprehensive education, attending St. Alban's College (now ʻIolani School) and Oahu College (now Punahou School) in Honolulu. Following this, he traveled abroad as part of King Kalākaua's Hawaiian Youths Abroad program, which aimed to provide future Hawaiian leaders with a broader education. He attended Saint Matthew's School in San Mateo, California, in 1885, where he and his brothers became the first recorded surfers in California. In 1890, he continued his studies in the United Kingdom, attending the Royal Agricultural College and a business school. During his time in England, he and Kawānanakoa also introduced surfing to the British Isles. [1]

His political career began in a minor position within the Department of the Interior and Customs Office of the Hawaiian Kingdom. However, the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi in 1893 by American and European businessmen drastically altered his path. At the age of twenty-four, Kūhiō participated in the unsuccessful 1895 Wilcox rebellion against the Republic of Hawaiʻi, for which he was sentenced to a year in prison. After his release and the annexation of Hawaii by the United States in 1898, forming the Territory of Hawaii in 1900, Kūhiō initially left Hawaii, traveling extensively in the United States and Europe, where he was treated as royalty. He even traveled to South Africa, possibly as an observer or enlistee in the British Army during the Second Boer War. [1]

Upon his return, Kūhiō transitioned from prince to statesman, becoming a prominent figure in Hawaiian politics. He initially joined the Home Rule Party of Hawaii, which advocated for Hawaiian independence. However, he later joined the Republican Party and was elected as Hawaii's delegate to the U.S. Congress, serving from March 4, 1903, until his death on January 7, 1922. He won ten elections during his tenure. As a delegate, he was instrumental in establishing local government at the county level in Hawaiʻi, staffing civil service positions with Hawaiian appointees. He also reorganized the Royal Order of Kamehameha I and founded the first Hawaiian Civic Club on December 7, 1918, both efforts aimed at preserving Hawaiian culture and community. In 1919, he introduced the first-ever Hawaii Statehood Act in Congress, though it would take forty years to come to fruition. [1]

Prince Kūhiō was a strong advocate for women's suffrage. In 1915 and 1916, he attempted to introduce legislation in Congress to allow the territorial legislature to decide on women's suffrage. In 1917, a bill he supported, put forward by Senator John F. Shaforth, was enacted in June 1918, allowing the Territory of Hawaii to decide on suffrage. This effort was significantly aided by New England suffragist Almira Hollander Pitman. Although local legislation on women's suffrage in Hawaii became deadlocked, the Nineteenth Amendment, passed the following year, ultimately granted women the right to vote. [1]

His most enduring legislative achievement was the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1921. This act aimed to rehabilitate the native Hawaiian population by returning them to the land. Despite Kūhiō's original intentions for fee-simple ownership, the Act as passed required blood-quantum requirements for recipients and leased land instead of granting full ownership, creating a perpetual government institution. This act remains a significant and often controversial piece of legislation in Hawaiian politics, influencing subsequent discussions like the Akaka Bill. Kūhiō served on the first Hawaiian Homes Commission, beginning September 16, 1921. [1]

Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole died on January 7, 1922, at the age of 50, in Waikīkī, Oʻahu, Territory of Hawaii. His body was interred on January 15, 1922, at the Royal Mausoleum, Mauna ʻAla, in Nuʻuanu on Oʻahu, alongside his royal family. His widow, Elizabeth Kahanu Kalanianaʻole, funded the renovation of the mausoleum chapel in his honor. [1]