Kalakaua

Kalākaua — born as David La‘amea Kamanakapu‘u Mahinulani Nalaiaehuokalani Lumialani Kalākaua and called The Merrie Monarch (November 16, 1836 - January 20, 1891) — was the last reigning king of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i. He served his office from February 12, 1874 until his death in San Francisco, California on January 20, 1891.

Early life

He was the eldest son of Kepa‘akea and Keohokalole.

1872 election

King Kamehameha V, the last monarch of the Kamehameha dynasty, died on December 11, 1872 without naming a successor to the throne. Under the Kingdom's constitution, if the King did not appoint a successor, a new king would be appointed by the legislature.

There were several candidates for the Hawaiian throne. However, the contest was centered mainly on two high-ranking ali‘i, or chiefs: William C. Lunalilo and David Kalākaua. Lunalilo was the more popular of the two, partially because he was a higher-ranking chief than Kalākaua and was the immediate cousin of the deceased Kamehameha V. Lunalilo was also the more liberal of the two--he promised to amend the constitution to give the people a greater voice in the government. Many believed that the government should simply declare Lunalilo as the king, however, Lunalilo refused to allow this to be done and insisted that everyone in the kingdom should take part in an election for the office of the king.

Kalākaua, meanwhile, published a proclamation written in a Hawaiian poetic style. Here is an excerpt:

"O my people! My countrymen of old! Arise! This is the voice!
"Ho! all ye tribes! Ho! my own ancient people! The people who took hold and built up the Kingdom of Kamehameha.
"Arise! This is the voice.
"Let me direct you, my people! Do nothing contrary to the law or against the peace of the Kingdom.
"Do not go and vote.
"Do not be led by the foreigners; they had no part in our hardships, in gaining the country. Do not be led by their false teachings."

Kalākaua was much more conservative than his opponent, Lunalilo. At the time, foreigners dominated the Hawaiian government. Kalākaua promised to put native Hawaiians back into the Kingdom's government. He also promised to amend the Kingdom's constitution.

On January 1, 1873, a popular election was held for the office of King. Lunalilo won with an overwhelming majority. The next day, the legislature confirmed the popular vote and elected Lunalilo unanimously. Kalākaua conceded.

Election of 1874

Lunalilo took the throne but passed away a year later, on February 3, 1874.

On February 4, 1874, Kalākaua announced his candidacy for the throne. His main opponent was Queen Emma, the widow of the deceased King Kamehameha IV.

This time around, most of the people in the ali‘i (the Hawaiian equivalent to royalty/nobility) and commoners supported Kalākaua over Emma.

The legislature met on February 12, 1874 to choose the next monarch. The resulting vote was thirty-nine votes for Kalākaua and six for Queen Emma. When the announcement of Kalākaua's victory was heard, a mob of Queen Emma's supporters attacked members of the legislature who had left the courthouse to tell Kalākaua of his victory. The mob forced its way into the kingdom's court building and savagely beat several native legislators. One legislator was killed after he was thrown out of a window. The newly elected King Kalākaua asked marines from American and British warships to put down the mob, and peace was restored by that evening.

Reign as King

Upon ascending the throne, Kalākaua named his brother, William Pitt Leleiohoku, as his heir, putting an end to the era of elected kings in Hawai‘i.

Kalākaua started his reign off with a tour of the Hawaiian islands. This improved his popularity.

In October 1874, Kalākaua sent representatives to the United States to negotiate a reciprocity treaty to help end a depression that was ongoing in Hawaii. In November, Kalākaua himself traveled to Washington DC to meet Ulysses S. Grant. An agreement was reached and the treaty was signed on January 30, 1875. The treaty allowed certain Hawaiian goods, mainly sugar and rice, to be admitted into the United States tax-free.

During the early part of Kalākaua's reign, the king made full use of his power to appoint and dismiss cabinets. King Kalākaua believed in the hereditary right of the ali‘i to rule. Kalākaua continually dismissed cabinets and appointed new ones. This drew criticism from people from the "Missionary Party" who wanted to reform Hawaiian government based on the model of the United Kingdom's constitutional monarchy where the monarch had very little real power over the government but had a position of great dignity and was the head of state. The party believed the legislature should control the cabinet ministers rather than the king. This struggle continued throughout Kalākaua's reign.

In 1881, King Kalākaua left Hawai‘i on a trip around the world to study the matter of immigration and to improve foreign relations. He also wanted to study how other rulers ruled. In his absence, his sister and heir, Princess Lili‘uokalani, ruled as regent (Prince Leleiohoku, the former heir, had died in 1877). The King first traveled to San Francisco where he was given a royal welcome. Then he sailed to Japan where he met with the Emperor of Japan. He continued through China, Siam, Burma, India, Egypt, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Austria, France, Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and back through the United States before returning to Hawai‘i. During this trip, he met with many other crowned heads of state, including the Pope, the King of Italy, and Queen Victoria. In this, he became the first king to travel around the world.

Kalākaua also built ‘Iolani Palace, the only royal palace that exists on American soil today. Many of the furnishings in the palace were ordered by Kalākaua while he was in Europe.

King Kalākaua is said to have wanted to build a Polynesian Empire. In 1886, legislature granted the government $30,000 for the formation of a Polynesian confederation. The King sent representatives to Sāmoa, where King Malietoa agreed to a confederation between the two kingdoms. This confederation did not last very long, however, since King Kalākaua lost power the next year to the Bayonet constitution, and thus a reformist party came into power that ended the alliance.

By 1887, the Missionary party had grown very frustrated with Kalākaua. They blamed him for the Kingdom's growing debt and accused him of being a spendthrift. Some foreigners wanted to force King Kalākaua to abdicate and put his sister Lili‘uokalani onto the throne, while others wanted to end the monarchy altogether and annex the islands to the United States. The people who favored annexation formed a group called the Hawaiian League. In 1887, members of the League armed with guns assembled together. The King was frightened by this show of force and offered to transfer his powers to the foreign ministers representing the United States, the United Kingdom, or Portugal. The members of the league instead asked him to sign a new constitution.

This new constitution, nicknamed the Bayonet Constitution of 1887, removed much of the King's executive power. The legislature was now able to override a veto by the King, and King was no longer allowed to take action without approval of the cabinet. The House of Nobles, the house of legislature appointed by the King, was to be elected. It also inserted a provision that allowed non-Hawaiian citizens to vote. A counter-revolution, led by a man named Robert Wilcox, aimed at restoring the King's power, but this revolution failed.

By 1890, the King's health began to fail. Under the advice of his physician, he traveled to San Francisco. His health continued to worsen, and he died on January 20, 1891. His remains were returned to Honolulu aboard the American cruiser, USS Charleston (C-2). His sister, Lili‘uokalani, succeeded him to the Hawaiian throne.

Legacy

King Kalākaua earned the nickname "the Merry Monarch," because of his love for gay, festive elements of life. Under his reign, hula was revived, which had been banned by the missionaries in the 1820's after being deemed immoral. Today, his name lives on in the Merrie Monarch Festival, a hula festival named in his honor.