Lunalilo (William Charles Lunalilo; January 31, 1835 – February 3, 1874) was the sixth monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii from his election on January 8, 1873, until his death a year later.
44-569: Born to Kekāuluohi and High Chief Charles Kanaʻina , he was of royal descent and a grandnephew of King Kamehameha I . He was educated at the Royal School by American missionaries and was proclaimed eligible for the throne by King Kamehameha III . After the death of King Kamehameha V , he was elected to the throne in 1873 by a unanimous decision of the legislature of the kingdom . Due to his popularity and status as Hawaii's first elected monarch , he became known as "The People's King". He died
88-619: A bicameral legislature and made the revived upper House of Nobles elected to six-year terms, with higher property ownership requirements. Following the contentious 1892 Legislative Session of the Hawaiian Kingdom , tensions grew between some members of the Legislature and Queen Liliuokalani . After the Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1893, it became the legislature of the brief Republic of Hawaii , followed in 1898 by
132-685: A burial at Kawaiahaʻo Church on the church's ground. He wanted, he said, to be "entombed among (my) people, rather than the kings and chiefs" at the Royal Mausoleum in Nuʻuanu Valley. This was due to a feud between Lunalilo and the Kamehameha family over his mother Kekāuluohi's exclusion from the list of royalty to be buried there. Thus, on November 23, 1875, his remains were taken from the Mausoleum, where it had rested temporarily awaiting
176-514: A result of the Mahele, he relinquished 73 percent of his land. As of 1848, at the age of thirteen, he was still one of the largest landowners after the King, inheriting the land and personal property given to his mother father and grandmother by Kamehameha I. In 1850 Lunalilo gave up another large amount of land to the government reducing his holdings to 43 lots. Affectionately known as "Prince Bill," he
220-662: A treaty be drawn with the United States to allow Hawaiian sugar to enter the nation tax-free. To make such a treaty, many thought that the Kingdom would have to offer the Pearl Harbor area to the United States in exchange. There was much controversy over this, with both the public and in the legislature. When Lunalilo saw this opposition, he dropped the proposal. During Lunalilo's reign, a mutiny took place in
264-465: A year later from tuberculosis. William Charles Lunalilo was born on January 31, 1835, in a two-story house made of coral brick, an area known as Pohukaina , now part the grounds of the ʻIolani Palace in Honolulu . His mother was High Chiefess Miriam Auhea Kekāuluohi (later styled as Kaʻahumanu III) and his father was High Chief Charles Kanaʻina . He was grandnephew of Kamehameha I by blood and
308-589: The Hawaiian language . He was also named after King William IV of the United Kingdom , a great friend of the Hawaiian royal family. In the 2000 publication; "Kamehameha's Children Today" , authors Charles Ahlo, Rubellite Kawena Kinney Johnson and Jerry Walker state that Lunalilo's father, Charles Kanaʻina was the great-great grandson of Kamehameha I . Kanaʻina's maternal grandfather, Palila Nohomualani
352-487: The House of Kamehameha in family rank ( mana ). There were two failed attempts of marriage between the two. Lunalilo composed the Hawaiian song ʻAlekoki for his unrequited love. After Victoria, he briefly courted the hand of Liliʻuokalani, but she broke off the engagement on the advice of Kamehameha IV. Liliʻuokalani would eventually marry American John Owen Dominis and Victoria Kamāmalu would die unmarried and childless at
396-732: The Privy Council of State , the advisory council for the monarch, from 1863 to 1865, during the reign of his cousin King Kamehameha V. He also served on the House of Nobles, the upper house of the legislature , traditionally reserved for the high chiefs, from 1863 to 1872. He was betrothed to his cousin Princess Victoria Kamāmalu , a popular choice among the Hawaiian people except for Victoria's brothers. They both refused to have her marry him. Their children would outrank
440-478: The Territory of Hawaii . The members of the lower House of Representatives (Hale ʻAhaʻōlelo Makaʻāinana) were elected by popular vote from several districts in the Kingdom. Revenue-oriented bills were issued through the House of Representatives, and it also served as the " grand inquest " of the Kingdom. From 1840 to 1864, the legislature existed as a bicameral parliament . However, with the 1864 Constitution ,
484-491: The absolute monarchy of his grandfather, Kamehameha I. Lunalilo, however, spent his reign trying to make the Hawaiian government more democratic. He started by writing to the legislature, recommending that the constitution be amended. He wanted to undo some changes that his predecessor had made when he enacted the 1864 Constitution. For example, the Kingdom legislature prior to 1864 met in two houses: The House of Nobles and
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#1732776462629528-412: The "21-gun salute." Like his predecessor, Lunalilo did not designate an heir to the throne. It was said he had intended for Queen Emma to succeed him, but died before a formal proclamation could be made. The most prevalent explanation of this delay is regarding his democratic principles: he wished to have the people choose their next ruler. However, the constitution of 1864 had charged the legislature, not
572-603: The Christian name William Charles, he became King Lunalilo of Hawaii in 1873. Kekāuluohi died of influenza at Pohukaina , Honolulu, June 7, 1845. Initially buried in the Pohukaina Tomb, located on grounds of ʻIolani Palace , her remains were not amongst those transported in 1865 to the newly constructed Royal Mausoleum at Mauna ʻAla in the Nuʻuanu Valley . It isn't known if this was a mistake or oversight, but
616-487: The Crown; received and transferred government lands; and served as special Councilor to the king, with exclusive veto power over his decisions. She and Kamehameha III signed the first constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1840. It provided for an elected representative body, a first step toward the common people gaining political power. She served in the House of Nobles from its founding. The constitution also codified for
660-476: The House of Representatives. The members of the House of Nobles were appointed by the King and the Representatives were elected by popular vote. Lunalilo served in the House of Nobles from 1863 through 1872. Under King Kamehameha V, the two houses of legislature were combined into one. Lunalilo wished to restore the bicameral legislature. He also wanted to add a provision to the constitution that required
704-544: The King would marry a Tahitian chiefess from Bora Bora . Although never marrying, the king took Eliza Meek (1832–1888), the hapa-haole daughter of Captain John Meek, the harbor pilot of Honolulu, and sister-in-law of his chamberlain Horace Crabbe, as his mistress. King Kamehameha V, the last of the Kamehameha kings, died on December 11, 1872, without naming a successor. Under the Kingdom's 1864 constitution , if
748-399: The Legislature was temporarily unified into a single-house ( unicameral ) legislature. This Constitution also created property and literacy requirements for both Legislature members and voters; these requirements were later repealed by the legislature in 1874 during the reign of King Lunalilo . The subsequent 1887 Constitution , known as the "Bayonet Constitution," restored the two chambers as
792-637: The age of 27 in 1866. Another alleged prospective bride was a maternal cousin Miriam Auhea Kekāuluohi Crowningburg , who married a German-American settler instead. During his reign as king, it was proposed that he marry Queen Emma , the widow of Kamehameha IV, but this proposal came to nothing due to Queen Emma's devotion to her late husband. They remained friends and it was said he considered naming her as his heir before he died. According to Emma's cousin Peter Kaʻeo , there were gossips that
836-516: The completion of the Lunalilo Mausoleum , to the completed tomb on the grounds of Kawaiahaʻo Church. His father requested a second funeral and a 21-gun salute from Kalākaua like during his first funeral. Kalākaua granted the second funeral but refused to allow the 21-gun salute. During this procession, eyewitness reports stated that a sudden storm arose, and that twenty-one rapid thunderclaps echoed across Honolulu which came to be known as
880-451: The constitution to make the government more democratic by removing property qualifications for voting. It was decided that there would be a popular election to give the people a chance to have their voices heard. However, because the constitution gave the legislature the power to decide who would be the next king, the popular election would be unofficial. Lunalilo urged the people of the Kingdom to have their voices heard. The popular vote
924-460: The court of impeachment for any royal official. Members were usually Hawaiian aliʻis, nobles, and royal or wealthy individuals. The position had no salary. It originally consisted of the King or Queen plus five women and ten men. After the overthrow of the Kingdom and the subsequent United States annexation in 1898 , this body was reconstituted as a Senate under the territorial constitution of
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#1732776462629968-430: The courtyard was filled to capacity and a large crowd watched from outside. Because Lunalilo's popularity was so great, and because he became king through a democratic process, he became known as "The People's King." When Lunalilo assumed the duties of the king, a huge change in the government's policy began to form. His predecessor, Kamehameha V, had spent his reign increasing the powers of his office and trying to restore
1012-504: The establishment of the Lunalilo Home , the first charitable trust established by a Hawaiian aliʻi trust, to house the poor, destitute, and infirmed people of Hawaiian descent, with preference given to older people. Kek%C4%81uluohi Miriam Auhea Kalani Kui Kawakiu o Kekāuluohi Kealiʻiuhiwaihanau o Kalani Makahonua Ahilapalapa Kai Wikapu o Kaleilei a Kalakua also known as Kaʻahumanu III (July 27, 1794 – June 7, 1845),
1056-411: The first time the responsibilities and authority of the kuhina nui. She held both positions until her death. She and Kanaʻina had two sons. Their first son Davida, died young. Kekāuluohi gave birth to her second son on January 31, 1835. When a name for the prince was about to be selected, his mother chanted: "I luna, i luna, i lunalilo, the highest, the highest, the highest of all". Although given
1100-531: The following message six days after the death of Kamehameha V: "Whereas, it is desirable that the wishes of the Hawaiian people be consulted as to a successor to the Throne, therefore, notwithstanding that according to the law of inheritance, I am the rightful heir to the Throne, in order to preserve peace, harmony and good order, I desire to submit the decision of my claim to the voice of the people." Lunalilo, unlike his more conservative opponent, wanted to amend
1144-612: The indignant Lunalilo refused to bury his mother at the Royal Mausoleum and instead arrange her remains to buried at sea. Her father's family line survives today through her cousin and namesake Miriam Auhea Kekāuluohi Crowningburg . A girl's dormitory is named for her at Kamehameha Schools Kapalama Campus. Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom The Legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom ( Hawaiian : ʻAhaʻōlelo o ke Aupuni o Hawaiʻi )
1188-438: The king did not appoint a successor, a new king would be elected by the legislature from the eligible Hawaiian royals still alive. The other candidate was David Kalākaua. Lunalilo was the more popular of the two. His grandfather was Kalaimamahu, a half brother of Kamehameha I and was thus a cousin of King Kamehameha V. His grandmother was Queen Kalakua Kaheiheimalie, sister of Queen Kaʻahumanu. Because of this, many people believed
1232-404: The king to include a written explanation to accompany any veto by the king. He wanted cabinet ministers to be heard in the House of Representatives. The King also wanted to improve Hawaii's economic situation. The Kingdom was in an economic depression , with the whaling industry rapidly declining. Commerce groups asked the king to look at sugar to improve the economy and recommended that
1276-487: The monarch's stepson by marriage to his mother. His grandmother was Kalākua Kaheiheimālie , sister of Kamehameha's favorite wife, Queen Kaʻahumanu . This made him both, a second cousin as well as first cousin to King Kamehameha V , King Kamehameha IV , and Princess Victoria Kamāmalu through their mothers: Kekāuluohi and Kīnaʻu (later styled as Kaʻahumanu II) who were half-sisters. Lunalilo translates as Luna (high) lilo (lost) or "so high up as to be lost to sight" in
1320-486: The people, with the task of electing the next king . In the end, Kalākaua of the House of Kalākaua was voted to succeed Lunalilo as king. The election provoked the Honolulu Courthouse riots in which supporters of Queen Emma targeted legislators who supported Kalākaua; thirteen legislators were injured, with J. W. Lonoaea the only one to die from his injuries. In his will, Lunalilo set aside lands for
1364-436: The small Hawaiian army. Some members of the army revolted against the drillmaster and the adjutant general . The king interviewed the troops involved in the mutiny and he persuaded them to lay down their arms. Following this, the king disbanded the army apart from the military band . From that point on, the Kingdom had no armed forces until King Kalākaua restored them. King Lunalilo had some bad health habits; for example, he
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1408-427: The throne rightly belonged to Lunalilo since the only person more closely related to Kamehameha V, Bernice Pauahi Bishop , made clear she did not want the throne. Another contender was Princess Ruth Keʻelikōlani who was a half sister to King Kamehameha V. She was a favorite among the Hawaiian chiefs because of her adhering to the old Hawaiian ways. She was governess of Hawaii and refused to speak English even though she
1452-578: Was Kamehameha I 's grandson through the monarch's first born child named Kahiliʻōpua, daughter of Kalola-a-Kumukoa , also known as Kalolawahilani. This genealogy is based on previously unpublished family trees compiled by the DeFries family. He was declared eligible to succeed by the royal decree of King Kamehameha III and sent to the Chief's Children's School (later called the Royal School) when it
1496-516: Was Kuhina Nui of the Kingdom of Hawaii , a queen consort of both Kamehameha I and Kamehameha II , and mother of Lunalilo . In ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Native Hawaiian language), Kekāuluohi means; "the vigorously growing vine". She adopted her secondary name Auhea , meaning Where, oh where, in memory of the death of Kamehameha I. Kekāuluohi was born in 1794, the only daughter of her father High Chief Kalaʻimamahu (half-brother of Kamehameha I ) with her mother Kalākua Kaheiheimālie of Maui , who
1540-547: Was bicameral and originally consisted of a lower House of Representatives and an upper House of Nobles as provided for under the Constitutions of the Kingdom of 1840 and 1852 , until abolished by the 1864 Constitution which then provided for a unicameral Legislature. The members of the upper House of Nobles (Hale ʻAhaʻōlelo Aliʻi) were appointed by the Monarch with the advice of his Privy Council. It also served as
1584-402: Was also a wife of Kamehameha I. She was hānai to (adopted by) her grandparents Namahana and Keʻeaumoku , who "fondled her as if she were a feather lei from the precious mamo bird." Through her mother she was a step-daughter of Kamehameha I, founder of the Kingdom of Hawaii , and through her father she was the monarch's niece. She was also half-sister of Kamāmalu and Kīnaʻu . She
1628-405: Was an alcoholic . Around August 1873, Lunalilo contracted a severe cold which developed into pulmonary tuberculosis . In hopes of regaining his health, he moved to Kailua-Kona . A few months later, on February 3, 1874, he died from tuberculosis at the age of 39, at Haimoeipo, his private residence in Honolulu . Lunalilo had reigned for one year and twenty-five days. On his deathbed, he requested
1672-631: Was betrothed to a prince of the Tahitians Pōmare Dynasty at birth, but never married him because of the prince's early death. In 1809 she was chosen along with Manono II by Kamehameha I "to warm his old age". When Kamehameha I died in 1819 she gave herself the name Auhea (where has he gone) in memory of her first husband. She would later marry her cousin Liholiho (who took the throne as King Kamehameha II) as one of his five consorts. She had no children from her first two marriages. In 1821
1716-418: Was fluent in it. Her genealogy, however, was too controversial and few people considered her suitable to take the throne. This left Kalākaua and Lunalilo, and of the two, Lunalilo was greatly favored. So great was Lunalilo's popularity that some people believed that Lunalilo could have simply walked into the capital and declared himself king. Lunalilo, however, insisted that the constitution be followed. He issued
1760-586: Was founded by missionaries Amos Starr Cooke and Juliette Montague Cooke. Learning to speak both Hawaiian and English, he gained a mastery of English literature and love of Shakespearian soliloquies. According to one of his cousins, Elizabeth Kekaaniau , Lunalilo was groomed to one day assume the Governorship of Oahu after Kekūanaōʻa 's death. Before the Great Mahele Lunalilo's holdings of 239 ʻāina were second only to Kamehameha III. As
1804-466: Was given by Kamehameha II to his friend Charles Kanaʻina on Kauaʻi in marriage. On April 4, 1839, Kīnaʻu, styled as Kaahumanu II, died. The following day Kekāuluohi was initiated into office. Although Kīnaʻu's daughter Victoria Kamāmalu was of higher rank and heir to the premiership, Kekāuluohi was given the position since Victoria was too young. As Kuhina Nui she signed, with the king, all official documents; conducted all executive business affecting
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1848-567: Was held on January 1, 1873, and Lunalilo won by an overwhelming majority. The week after, the legislature unanimously voted Lunalilo king. It has been speculated that the reason for the unanimous vote was because each legislator was required to sign his name on the back of his ballot, and the legislators were afraid to go against the wishes of the people. Queen Emma later wrote in a letter that hundreds of Hawaiians were ready to tear to pieces anyone who opposed Lunalilo. At Lunalilo's investiture ceremony, held on January 9, 1873, at Kawaiahaʻo Church ,
1892-409: Was one of the royals (besides Kalākaua and Liliʻuokalani ) to write music. He composed Hawaii's first national anthem, " E Ola Ke Aliʻi Ke Akua ," which was Hawaii's version of " God Save The King ". He wrote the song in fifteen minutes in a contest hosted by newspaper publisher Henry Whitney in 1862 for the birthday of Kamehameha IV. He won the contest and was awarded ten dollars. Lunalilo served on
1936-562: Was the bicameral (later unicameral ) legislature of the Hawaiian Kingdom . A royal legislature was first provided by the 1840 Constitution and the 1852 Constitution was the first to use the term Legislature of the Hawaiian Islands , and the first to subject the monarch to certain democratic principles . Prior to this the monarchs ruled under a Council of Chiefs (ʻAha Aliʻi). The Legislature from 1840 to 1864
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