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Prince Johah Kuhio Kalanianaole

     Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole, a desscendent of Hawaii's ancient royal families, was born at Hoai, Kualu in the Koloa district on the island of Kauai on March 26, 1871, the youngest son of Kauai's High Chief David Kahalepouli Piikoi and Princes Kinoiki Kekaulike.  His great-grandfather, Kaumualii, had been the last king of Kauai.  The Prince's birthplace was a grass house in this ancient fishing village.  Normally, however, the Piikoi family resided on Oahu.

     The family consisted of three boys.  Their mother and father died when they were young and they were adopted by their aunt, Kapiolani, who was their mother's sister and the wife of King Kalakaua.  In the course of time each brother dropped his surname Piikoi, taking his middle name as a surname.

     When King Kalakaua and Queen Kapiolani ascended their thrones in 1874, the children were already members of the royal household as the queen's nephews and, later, foster sons.  One of the highlights of their youth was the coronation ceremony of Kalakaua and Kapiolani, in which they participated as immediate members of the family.  They were made princes by royal decree when Kuhio was thirteen.

     The boys attended private schools in Honolulu, first St. Alban's College, now Iolani School, and then Punahou School.  It was at St. Alban's that the nickname "Prince Cupid" was first given to the roly-poly Prince by his French school teacher, Pierre Jones.  Kuhio was then a fat little fellow whose eyes twinkled merrily and upon whose lips there was a perpetual smile.  The French teacher said:  "He is so cute, just like the pictures of the little cupids."  This affectionate nickname stayed with him throughout his lifetime.  Even in Washington he was known as "Prince Cupid."  He didn't seem to mind the name, although he never referred to it himeself.

     At Punahou Kuhio was noted for his ability as an athlete.  In fact, throughout his life he was considered an all-round sportsman.  He took part in all athletic sports and excelled in rowing and football.  He loved to participate in rowing regattas off the beach at Waikiki.  Running and bicycling were other school activities that he enjoyed.  Born to a great love of the sea, as are most Hawaiians, he was an expert surf rider and spear fisherman.

     The Prince was skilled in the ancient Hawaiian form of wrestling known as "lua."  In his youth he was taught 250 "holds", which he never forgot.

     He was an expert horseman and there was nothing he enjoyed more keenly than going with the cowboys after wild cattle and horses on the rugged slopes of Mauna Kea, or spearing wild boars from the back of a horse.  He was an excellent polo player and was fond of yachting and game fishing.  Good marksmanship with either rifle or shotgun made him a welcome member of shooting Parties.  Golf was a favorite pastime.

     From Punahou the princes were sent to St. Matthew's School at San Mateo, California.  One of the brothers, Prince Edward, died before graduating.  After finishing their schooling the other two prices, David and Kuhio, were sent by King Kalakaua to the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester, England (during the years 1890 and 1891).  In addition to studying agriculture, the princes also took courses in business education.

     King Kalakaua's purpose in educating the princes at the best schools and in England was to prepare them to hold high offices in the kingdom or to wear the crown.  For this reason, he placed them in clerical work in different government offices during vacations and between schools.

     Upon his return from England, Prince Kuhio received a position in the Ministry of the Interior and the Custom service.  He worked very hard and showed a strong aptitude for public affairs.

     In 1891 King Kalakaua died and his sister Liliuokalani became queen.  Prince Kuhio was to be in the line of succession to the crown.  But her reign lasted a little less than two years.  In 1893 a revolution deposed the queen, overthrew the monarchy, and set up the Republic of Hawaii.  The Prince was then twenty-one years of age.  The career for which he had been trained was gone.  Only by some miracle would he ever become king of the Hawaiian Islands.

     Prince Kuhio was naturally a staunch supporter of his aunt, Queen Liliuokalani.  He wanted to see her returned to her throne and joined with a group of revolutionaries who tried to overturn the republic and restore the monarchy.  He was active in raising money with which to buy weapons on the mainland but the plot was discovered.  Kuhio was arrested and charged with treason.  He was found guilty by a military commission and served about a year as a political prisoner.  He evidently did not suffer a great deal as throughout his later life he delighted in telling yarns about his months in prison.

     His release and pardon came on the same day in 1895 that the republic released Queen Liliuokalani from her imprisonment.  A year later, on October 8, 1896, he married Elizabeth Kahanu Kaauwai, Daughter of a chief of Maui.  She had visited him daily while he was in prison, bringing him good things to eat whenever possible.

     The young couple made a trip around the world in 1899, seemingly with the intent of settling in another country.  They visited all of the cities of Europe and went to Africa where the Prince shot many animals, the heads of which were sent back as trophies for his home in Waikiki.  They investigated the diamond mining business in South Africa, but decided not to invest in it.  They returned to the islands in 1901.

     Congress, in April, 1900 had passed the Organic Act which established a territorial form of government in Hawaii and which provided that the Constitution and laws of the United States had the same force and effect in the territory as elsewhere in America.  It was probably this that brought the Prince back to Hawaii.  He became a member of the Republican Party and a loyal supporter of the United States.  Because he was one of their own alii, the Hawaiian people trusted and followed him.

     At the convention of the Republican Party held in Honolulu 1902, Prince Kuhio was persuaded to accept the party's nomination as a delegate to Congress.

     When Prince Kuhio first entered public life as a candidate he showed natural ability to speak in his own language.  His English, however, was not so good.  But, as the years rolled by, he became a fluent speaker in both English and Hawaiian.  He was a great political campaigner.  When he arose to address his audiences, he began by greeting them in the soft, mellow longdrawn out "Aloha, aloha, kamaaina."

     He was successful in his first bid for election and many others and served as Hawaii's delegate to Congress from 1903 to 1921.  His greatest asset, both with the Hawaiians and with the haole voters, was his keen wit and ready good humor.  He was also well-liked by his fellow-legislators in Wahsington, even those who at times opposed his views.  He never presented or advocated measures which he could not wholeheartedly support, but if he believed that something would be good for the Hawaiian people he worked tirelessly for it.  He had sincerity, enthusiasm and the courage to stand up for his convictions.  He commanded universal respect. 

     Among the outstanding achievements of Prince Kuhio in his twenty years in Congress were the following:

     (1)  Kalaupapa Leper Settlement - He was able to keep this a territorial institution and to secure a federal appropriation to build an experimental hospital for the treatment of leprosy.

     (2)  County government - He obtained an amendment to the Organic Act in 1905 which authorized the creation of county governments with elected officials.

     (3)  Pearl Harbor - The development of Pearl Harbor was an objective Prince Kuhio worked for at all times in Washington.  He obtained millions of dollars for it and for the many army installations on Oahu.  He served on the Military Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives, although, since he was merely a delegate instead of an elected representative, he did not have a vote.

     (4)  Congressional visits to the islands - Knowing how little the mainlanders knew about Hawaii, the Prince found that the best way to make friends for the Hawaiian cause was to persuade the congressmen to visit the islands.  He brought out congressional parties in 1907, 1909, 1915 and 1917 and entertained them lavishly at great luaus.

     (5)  Harbors - Through Prince Kuhio's efforts frunds were secured for improvements to the harbors at Honoluu, Hilo, Kahului and Nawiliwili.

     (6)  Hawaiian Homestead Act - In 1910 he obtained an amendment to the Organic Act which opened public lands to homesteading.  This, however, did not protect the Hawaiians so the Prince began agitation to set up special homesteading lands for Hawaiians only.

     (7)  Hawaii National Park - Prince Kuhio has been called the "Father of Hawaii National Park" becuase it was he who obtained passage of the bill enabling the Interior Department to take over a large area of the Kilauea volcano in 1916 for development as a national park.

     (8)  Rehabilitation Act - One of the greatest sorrows in the life of Prince Kuhio was the unmistakable decline in the Hawaiian race during his lifetime.  The number of full-blooded Hawaiians began its fatal decrease long before his birth, but the tendency was so marked that it showed up from month to month during his lifetime.  In 1896 there were over 30,000 of his race in the islands.  at the time of his death in 1922 there were a scant 20,000.  This seemed to indicate that within half a century the Hawaiians would be but a memory in the history of Hawaii.

     Prince Kuhio felt that the solution lay in getting the Hawaiians away from the cities and back to the land.  His idea was to turn over certain government-owned lands to the Hawaiians and endeavor to induce them to become a race of producers once again.

     The Rehabilitation act, better known as the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, was his greatest achevement and it took years of fighting.  The battle was not won until 1921.  Prince Kuhio then returned home.  He hoped to be appointed governor but President harding's choice for the post was Wallace Farrignton.  The Prince did not perit his disappointment to show and he worked closely with the governor, who became his good friend.  He was appointed a member of the Hawaiian Homes Commission, which was set up to carry out the provisions of the Rehabilitation Act.

     Statehood for Hawaii was not achieved during his lifetime but on February 11, 1919 Prince Kuhio introduced a bill in Congress, asking that Hawaii be admitted to the United States.  The first world war had just ended and the Prince stated that the war had proved that his people had become Americanized.  the  bill was refered to a committee for study and nothing further was done with it.  The next year the delegate introduced another bill.  These were the first two of a long succession of statehood bills.  Even in Hawaii there was little support for these bills and they were easily overlooked by congress.

     In addition to his other accomplishments, Prince Kuhio did all that he could to restore the Hawaiians' pride in their race and their respect for its past achievements.  He believed in democracy and self-government and urged his people to take pride in their American citizenship and to adjust to changing conditions.  He was outspoken in telling the Hawaiians that work was their only salvation - hard work that would enable them to compete with the other races.

     In 1903, the Prince organized the Order of Kamehameha, a society devoted to the perpetuation of the memory of Kamehameha the Great.  He officiated at the first observance of Kamehameha Day held in 1904 in front of the statue of the king in Honolulu.  The organization of the Order of Kamehameha set the pattern for the rivival of many of the old Hawaiian societies.  Kuhio also organized the groups known as The Chiefs of Hawaii and the Hawaiian Civic Club. 

     Prince Kuhio died of heart disease at his Waikiki Beach home on January 7, 1922 at the age of fifty and was given the last state funeral held in Hawaii for an alii.  He was buried at the royal mausoleum in Nuuanu Valley.  Royalty in the Hawaiian Islands died with him.  He was the last Hawaiian who by right of blood and designation could have claimed the crown. 

     As a monument to Kuhio's memory his birthplace on Kauai was made into a park and a statue of him, the work of sculptor Jacob Rosenstein, placed there on a simple rock pedestal.  The calm, appealing face looks out to the sea which he loved.  engraved on the bronze plaque is the name of the Prince followed by the phrase, "Ke Alii Makaainana" (The Citizen Prince).  The bust was unveiled on June 17, 1928 amid a gathering of noted people from all over the islands.

     The area in which Kuhio's home, Pua Leilani (Flower from the wreath of Heaven) was located is now Kuhio Park, in the Waikiki area of Honolulu.  A bronze plaque was placed there in 1940 by Hawaiians devoted to the memory of their beloved leader. 

It bears the words:

          "Prince by the grace of God.

           Statesman by accomplishment.

           Delegate to Congress by popular choice.

           Father of the Hawaiian Rehabilitation Act.

                               Dedicated by his People"

In 1949 the legislature designated March 26 as a territorial holiday to be known as Kuhio Day.  It is observed with school programs and special ceremonies sponsored by Hawaiian societies as the royal mausoleum.

Sources of Information

Kuhio's royal lineage was direct.

   (Clippings from the Hilo Tribune-Hearld)

Men of Hawaii, 1921, v.2, p. 227-9

   Honolulu Star Bulletin, 1922

Gale, Dorthy.  They called him Prince Cupid.

   Hawaii Weekly, March 21, 1954

Slewing, E.B. Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole.

   (From Mid-Pacific Magazine, April 1922, p. 331-4)

Thrum, T. G. The passing of Kuhio.  Hawaiian Almanac and Annual for 1923, p. 43-7

Kuykendall, R.S. and day, A.G. Hawaii: a history.

   Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1961

Mellen George. Ke Alii Makaainana.

   Paradise of the Pacific, Feb. 1922.  v. 35, p. 3-19.

Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole.  Memorial addresses

   delivered in the House of Rrepresentatives of the United States.

   Wash. Gov't Print. Office, 1924.