John L. Stevens
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John L. Stevens, formally John Leavitt Stevens (August 1, 1820-February 8, 1895), was the United States Department of State Minister to the Kingdom of Hawai'i when he conspired to overthrow Queen Lili'uokalani in association with the Committee of Safety, led by Lorrin A. Thurston and Sanford B. Dole.
Stevens was born in the town of Mount Vernon in Kennebec County, Maine. He lived in Augusta in the same county. He began as a newspaper editor before becoming Maine's delegate to the Republican National Convention of 1860. He joined the United States Department of State and was appointed foreign Minister to Paraguay, Uruguay and Sweden. His most infamous assignment was as Minister to the Hawaiian islands where, as a devout imperialist, he conspired to overthrow the monarchy in favor of American annexation. President of the United States Grover Cleveland forced Stevens into retirement in 1893 as a result of his illegal actions in Hawai'i. He died two years later.
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